Black Friday

For American retailers, the most profitable shopping day of the year is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It is not called Black because it is dark and ominous, but because it is the day most stores move out of the red and into the black budget wise. Black Friday is the result of a mass spending frenzy during which consumers move in herds (hoards might be a more accurate term), and release the funds they’ve been holding on to, or use the credit cards they’ve been holding back. Buyers get as excited about spending money as the retailers do about making it, and like lemmings, follow each other off the cliff and into the sea of debt. As if making up for not buying things since Halloween, shoppers indiscriminately pile things into their shopping carts at a rapid pace – like locusts eating a field. If they stay too long at one place, they will miss the next deal. American companies count on Black Friday being a day when everyone goes shopping, even people who don’t normally shop. 

     If we are not careful, Thanksgiving Day can digress into a sort of Black Thursday in which we go all out trying to make up for not being thankful the rest of the year.  The problem is that we have a tendency to spend most of our days complaining, overlooking a blessing, taking a friendship for granted, worrying, or longing for something we don’t have. We save up our thankfulness for the day we set aside for it. Since we can go for long extended periods of times without sincerely expressing thanks, we go overboard on Thanksgiving trying to move our gratitude column into the black. I wonder what the Lord thinks of our unintentional Black Thursday? 

     Of all people, believers have the most reasons to be grateful.  We have been: cleansed of our sin, declared righteous, made a child of God, in-dwelt by His Spirit, made a citizen of Heaven, given eternal life, called according to His purpose, and promised His presence throughout our lives.  As Americans, we have the privilege of living in a society that protects our right to life, liberty and private property, our freedom of religion, our right of free speech, and our freedom to peaceably assemble.  We live at a level of comfort unknown to most of the world, with what they would consider to be a bounty of food, shelter, and safety.  Many of us also have the joy of sharing love with family, friends, and our church family.

     We should never let our debt of gratitude to God go even one day without a whole-hearted, enthusiastic, and worshipful investment of thanks.  Paul admonished the Thessalonians, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

    In addition to expressing thanks everyday, including special occasions and holidays, we should also strive to serve the Lord everyday, with our whole heart, in everything we do.  We cannot make up for deficiencies in our daily lives by going above and beyond on Sundays or in the performance of some good work.  Every act of every day can be an investment in our life of service, devotion and faithfulness to the Lord.

1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:23 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God … and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,