Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] If you're tired of the kind of rote, let's go around the circle and say what you're thankful for. And you want to anchor your table and your family, your Oikos, in eternal truth, just stick around. This isn't just about feasting. It's about leading your family to remember the giver behind every blessing.
[00:00:22] Run your home and your dough like a biblical fault boss.
[00:00:27] Welcome back, brothers, and welcome to this special Thanksgiving edition of Abraham's Wallet.
[00:00:34] This is a place where we aim to inspire and equip you to lead your home like a biblical boss. I'm your host, Stephen Manuel. And today with Thanksgiving upon us, we're going to shift gears from the usual financial deep dive to something just as foundational, which is cultivating gratitude in your household through a simple scripture soaked family liturgy. A lot of people have this kind of pressure. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of giving thanks. But what exactly do we do if we can't haul the family to the local church house? I mean, I know dad's supposed to be leading something at home, but what do we do exactly?
[00:01:14] I'm going to walk you through a meaningful family meal ritual that my own crew uses every year.
[00:01:21] One that turns turkey and trimmings into a worship moment focusing on God's provision.
[00:01:27] I gotta set the stage for us. I really love Thanksgiving.
[00:01:33] It might be the American holiday that makes the most sense to me and I'm the most grateful for, but Thanksgiving as we know it wasn't always a national thing.
[00:01:44] Of course, it traces back to early American harvest celebrations. We always, when I was in elementary school, we'd dress up as pilgrims and talk about the first Thanksgiving. But it was President Abraham Lincoln who made it official in 1863, right in the middle of the Civil war.
[00:02:01] And on October 3, he proclaimed that the last Thursday in November would be a day of thanks. I'm quoting him now. Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent father who dwelleth in the heavens.
[00:02:15] That's amazing to think of a President saying that. It was a call to humility and gratitude amid national turmoil. So dads, we're going to reclaim that spirit every year and we got to use this holiday to point our families to the provider of all good things. I think it's a great opportunity to create traditions in your home. I can tell you that my family will expect me to be leading these exact passages because we do these every year.
[00:02:45] Let's remember that we're going to be thinking of gratitude in all five capitals.
[00:02:53] Just to review those for you, if you're a new listener, the spiritual capital, relational, intellectual, physical intellectual and financial capitals. We have things to thank God for in all of those.
[00:03:07] Yes, we're thankful for all five capitals. But as we'll see in these readings, we should call out specifically our material blessings and thank God for every paycheck, every car that didn't break down this year, or that maybe that he saw us through the ones that did.
[00:03:24] The money for blessing others through giving, that our savings and investments have grown in the past year. If, and by the way, as we're kind of taking stock and brainstorming what we're going to be grateful for if this sounds like the appetizer to an end of the year family summit. Well, I happen to think that this is a great on ramp into those discussions because the end of the year is bearing down on us. So taking stock is totally appropriate right now and should lead you into your family summit that you're going to do at the end of the year to review what God has done and start setting some goals for what are we looking for in the year to come?
[00:04:04] So picture this.
[00:04:07] Your family's gathered around the table. The candles are lit. Your bellies are ready for deliciousness. But before the turkey gets carved. And I do pray that you're able to smoke yours this year. That'd be a really great blessing for you if you were able to get some of that meat. Meat, church turkey brine.
[00:04:27] So herby, so juicy.
[00:04:31] I just want us dads to make a plan before that happens. What are we going to do to exploit this terrific opportunity to have a family day of rest and reflection?
[00:04:42] I'm going to walk you through exactly the passages that I use. It's not complicated. It's three passages that remind us of God's faithfulness and provision.
[00:04:52] We read them aloud as a family.
[00:04:55] I know the table is going to be full. Maybe you, maybe you do a printout for everybody and you have everybody read two verses at a time.
[00:05:02] You're going to see that specifically the first one, which is Deuteronomy 8. These are chunky passages, so feel free to edit. And you go, we got little kids. I'm doing three verses. Okay, great.
[00:05:16] I wouldn't do all this if my kids were 3 years old. I'd edit it down, but I'm going to give you the sort of grown up one for the junior hires on up.
[00:05:27] It's simple. These are chunky passages. We'd read them aloud and then we reflect briefly. It's a. To me, it's a game changer for turning a what's often just a big meal into a real milestone of faith for your family. So we'll break it down passage by passage. I'm going to actually just read them to you as I would, as I'm going to do at my thanksgiving table. And I'm going to read the first one from the One New man version, and then I'll read the other two from the Amplified Bible. So I'm going to read Deuteronomy 8:1 through 18. What you're going to hear is that there's to be thanksgiving in times of plenty and not to forget the Lord.
[00:06:08] However he may have blessed you, we mustn't forget the Lord. So look, I'm going to put on the readers here. And here we go.
[00:06:16] Deuteronomy chapter 8.
[00:06:18] You will observe all the commandments which I command you to this day to do them so that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers. This is so good. I'm gonna. I. I always interrupt myself and read the Bible. This is so good to tell your family that God's plan for you, his will for your family. It's right here in verse one. That you may live and multiply and possess the land. God wants success for your family.
[00:06:48] And you'll remember all of the way which the Lord your God led you. Remember, there's that word, remember. That's what Thanksgiving'.
[00:06:56] You will remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these 40 years in the wilderness to humble you and to prove you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. And he humbled you and he allowed you to hunger, and he fed you with manna which you had not known, neither did your fathers know, so that he could make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds from the mouth of God. If that sounds super familiar, it's because Jesus quoted that exact verse in Luke 4:4 and in Matthew 4:4.
[00:07:38] Your clothes did not wear out upon you, neither did your foot swell these 40 years. You will also consider in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Now, we just heard about trouble happening. There's definitely trouble that happened in the last year in your home. There was challenges to overcome. There were things to pray through, there were needs that we had to go to the Lord for. It's really good to contextualize those for your family. And say, God says that he did these so that we would know that man does not live by bread alone. And it was God's grace that he humbled us in the ways that he had, including the challenges that came to us.
[00:08:22] Your clothes did not wear out upon you. Neither did your foot swell these 40 years.
[00:08:27] You will also consider that in your heart. As a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Therefore you will keep the commandments of the Lord your God. To walk in his ways and to rever him.
[00:08:41] For the Lord your God. Here comes abundance. Talk. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land.
[00:08:48] A land of brooks, of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills. A land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees and pomegranates. A land of olive oil and honey. A land in which you will eat bread without scarceness. You will not lack anything in it. A land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you may dig bronze. Now, when you have eaten, Here we go. This is what we're doing today. We're at the thanksgiving table. When you have eaten and are full, then you will bless the Lord your God Jehovah for the good land which he has given you.
[00:09:27] Beware for yourself.
[00:09:30] Be careful here. Now. Beware for yourself that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, his judgments and his statutes. Which I command you in this day. Lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and lived in them. And when your herds and your flocks multiply and your silver and your gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied then your heart will be lifted up and you forget Jehovah, your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. Who led you through that great and awesome wilderness. In which were fiery serpents and scorpions and drought where there was no water. Who. Who brought forth water for you out of the rock of flint? Who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know. So that he could humble you, so he could prove you to do your good at your latter end. And you say in your heart. Here's the greatest verse in this passage. To me you say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. But you must remember the Lord your God, it is he who gives you the power to get wealth so that he could establish his covenant, which he swore to your fathers, as it is to this very day, so important for us to Remember? Oh, it is God's grace that gives me the brains, he gives me the hours, he gives me the body, the hands, the ideas, the relationships so that we could do the work that we've done in this past year.
[00:11:11] Thank God. Please, I'm asking you dads, thank God for those things in front of your family.
[00:11:17] Thank you, God, for the job that I have, for the company that I work for, whatever it is your side hustle, whatever opportunities you've had to make money, thank God for them in front of your family.
[00:11:32] And I think from this passage, you could use this opportunity to say, what are the challenges that have happened to our family in the last year? Let's just brainstorm. Let's hear some of those, and then thank God for them. God, you say in your word that you did it to humble us and so that we would know that you're the one that provides for us. And, God, may we learn this lesson, and may we be grateful even for the hard things, because you've been faithful to us in the. In the past year. All right, you. I'm. I know that I'm. You're getting the feeling of. It's that. Well, that took a few minutes to read that. How long you went. What I can tell you from experience, the wife is not crazy about us setting the whole table. All the food is hot and ready, and I go, hey, Everybody, give me 45 minutes to.
[00:12:19] That doesn't work too good. So what we do is we make a big. We might read one verse up front of a verse about thankfulness from the Psalms. Then we get into the meal, and when everybody's dug in, that's when we start into this stuff. And people can pause to read a couple of verses and then get back into the green bean casserole.
[00:12:44] So that's the first passage. Let's keep going. We go then to Psalm 16, 5 through 11.
[00:12:51] Just six verses. And this is joy in God's inheritance.
[00:12:56] It's. It's. It focuses on our contentment and our security in the Lord as our provision. Here it is. Psalm 16, verse 5. And on the Lord is the provision of my inheritance.
[00:13:09] My cup. He's all I need.
[00:13:12] You support me, Lord.
[00:13:14] The boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places. Yes. My heritage is beautiful to me. So, God, thank you for the people around this table. Thank you for the food on this table. Thank you that we have clothes in the closet. Thank you that there's food in the pantry.
[00:13:32] My heritage is beautiful to me. I will bless the Lord who has counseled me indeed, my heart instructs me in the night I have set the Lord continually before me. And because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My body also will dwell in safety. For you will not abandon me to the netherworld, the place of the dead, nor will you allow your Holy One to undergo decay. You will show me the path of life.
[00:14:05] In your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
[00:14:12] So I would just immediately go into a prayer going like, God, you have been so good to us. I might pause there and go into a little brainstorm and do a five capitals kind of a brainstorm where we would consider what are some of the spiritual goods that God's brought down the pipe for us this year, the new learnings that we've had. You can think through anything that your family studied together. God, you've grown us spiritually. You can thank God for family relationships. God, thank you for that. Grandpa has been a real part of the family and driving the boys to basketball this year. Whatever.
[00:14:55] Think through relationships. And I just brainstorm. I would throw these subjects out there and just let everybody then start talking.
[00:15:02] How have, how have we been blessed physically in this past year? Just think about our bodies and our health. Think about our material possessions. In my house, we bought two. Two new cars this year. And we, you know, that's always. It's always a costly thing.
[00:15:19] Uh, and there's. So there's a little hand wringing that goes about car buying. Well, we're going to be thanking God for that Thanksgiving. God, you've been so faithful to us. So we, we do have two new cars. Um, whatever has happened in your life. We had to do the rehab on the bathroom. God, you've seen us through that. Whatever physical provision. And then finally financial provision again. We're reading from this Psalm 16. You're going to lead me in the path of life. God, thank you for that. Our. That our savings have grown this year.
[00:15:52] Thank you that we were able to give to. Whatever you give to arise for Israel. What we give to animal shelters, we give to crisis pregnancy centers. You might be given to the parent pregnancy center in Utah where Amelia works. What. Wherever you're giving money. Oh, God, thank you that we. That you give us not only what we need, we have more than enough and we can be givers. Just, I would say, create a little brainstorm around the table.
[00:16:21] You can take a break or whatever. There's only one more passage coming.
[00:16:24] We. We just want to give you content so that you're so that. That time. That's wonderful time. This warm time at the table isn't wasted time. It's a great time for you dad, to be leading out. Now, Last passage is 2nd Corinthians 9:6 through 15, and this talks about generosity from gratitude.
[00:16:45] So here, here it is, 2nd Corinthians 9, starting in verse 6.
[00:16:50] Now remember this, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And he who sows generously that blessings may come to others will also reap generously and be blessed. Let each one give thoughtfully and with purpose, just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver and delights in the one whose heart is in the gift. That's a great phrase, God love. This is where that comes from. You've heard this before. It's 2nd Corinthians 9:7 that says God loves a cheerful giver.
[00:17:25] And the amplified says God delights in the one whose heart is in the gift.
[00:17:31] And God is able to make all grace come in abundance to you, so that you may always, under all circumstances, regardless of the need, have complete sufficiency in everything, being completely self sufficient in him, and have an abundance for every good work and every act of charity as it is written and forever remains written. He, the benevolent and generous person scattered abroad, he gave to the poor. His righteousness endures forever.
[00:18:05] Now he who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness, which shows itself in active goodness, kindness and love. You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous. And this generosity administrated through us is producing thanksgiving to God from those who benefit. Yes, here we are thanking God for the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, God's people, but is also overflowing through many expressions of thanksgiving to God.
[00:18:47] Because of this act of ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to the gospel of Christ, which you confess, as well as for your generous participation in this gift for them and for all the other believers in need.
[00:19:01] And they also long for you while they pray on your behalf because of the surpassing measure of God's grace, his undeserved favor, mercy and blessing which is revealed in you. Now thanks be to God for his indescribable gift, which is precious beyond words.
[00:19:20] Isn't that good? I have to say, as I'm reading those words, that a couple of the places that we often give in our home is we give to the Bible League, which their whole ministry is translating and handing out the Bible all over the world. And we also give to the persecuted church. I believe their website is persecutedchurch.com that's Voice of the martyrs.
[00:19:44] But those are places that we love to give because it's right here in this passage.
[00:19:51] We want to be sharing the abundance of God, which we don't feel guilty for. We're grateful for God's abundance, but we want to share that with believers around the world who are struggling. And not only, I have to say, are we sending money overseas. Sometimes that's easier to do than like, actually looking in our community and going, well, who. Who's in need? Who are the young families that are in their first home? You know, they're struggling. Well, this is a great time to be giving to those around you who are in need, those who've been laid off trying to find work. Dad's dad's working. But it's hard to make ends meet, man. Give to them that we. We ought to be. So I love Tim. Tim Keller's line that we should be promiscuous with our money. And when we have an opportunity to give, we're just like, well, what's the need? Well, this is why God's given us money.
[00:20:44] Let's give.
[00:20:46] So I, I love, I love to kind of walk through in our Thanksgiving. We're thanking God for everything he's done for us, and we're thankful for the opportunity to be givers. And He's a giver.
[00:20:59] We want to reflect Him. We're givers. So I like that. Not just, you know, like, throwing our arms around the stuff God's given us, including everything that's at this delightful table of food, but also throwing our arms open and go, he so abundantly blesses us that we can be like he is and to give. So that's it. There you have it. It's a straightforward liturgy to make your Thanksgiving table a throne room of thanks, rooted in Deuteronomy's reminder not to forget Psalm 16, joy in the portion that God's given us. And 2 Corinthians call to cheerful giving.
[00:21:37] To me, this practice, it builds a legacy of faith. And as well as building financial wisdom, in addition to these passage, as I said, my family works in brainstorms to just list the ways that God's been generous to us. Think spiritual insights, Christian community, friends and family. Milestones, new learnings or accomplishments in the family and all financial provisions. We thank God for all of it in prayer at the end.
[00:22:06] It doesn't have to be a long prayer time. We simply want to say for all the things we've listed. God, you're the giver of everything and we just want to say thank you.
[00:22:15] Our family ends by singing Great Is Thy Faithfulness, which is a favorite old hymn.
[00:22:21] Maybe somebody plays the piano or guitar in your home and can help leading that. But you know what? There is nothing wrong with YouTube. Play great is Thy Faithfulness. You could pass out lyrics. Everybody can sing Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Sing it to God as as thanks. God loves hymns to be sung to him. The Bible tells us that. So guys, use this opportunity to lead your homes in thanksgiving to God specifically for financial and material possessions, which is what these passages seem to center on. Print these passages up, the very ones that I read. Gather your crew and watch God knit your hearts closer together.
[00:22:59] And if this episode fired you up, smash that like button. Subscribe for more dad Empowering Content Leave Leave a review sharing how you're applying it, and share with a fellow father. Head over to abrahamswallet.com for more content just like this and let's run our homes and dough like biblical bosses. Thanks for tuning in to Abraham's wallet. We'll see you next week. And may the Lord bless your table this Thanksgiving season abundantly.
