There are many things that are important in this life. It is important to take care of finances, health, pay taxes, and keep relationships intact.

The most important thing in this life is to understand what real religion is. Understanding real religion not only concerns this present life, but also the life to come. Every person will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. A misunderstanding of what God expects is eternally damning.

Many believe all religion is nothing more than a sham, a way for some preacher to make a living without really working, a crutch for the weak, and a way to deny the reality and harshness of everyday life. Much modern religion is often nothing more than feelings and excitement. As soon as the excitement is over, religion is also over.

We must understand that religion is not just going to church, singing in the choir, or giving tithes and offerings. True religion is before Almighty God, who is full of truth, sees all, whether good or bad, and who will judge every person for the thoughts and intents of their heart. It is not just what we do on the outside that counts, but also what we think in our hearts.

False religion is that which is true to men, regardless of what God thinks.

It is obvious that all religion is not true religion. False religion originated with Satan. Isaiah 14:13.14 records the words of Satan, …I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

These verses help us to understand that false religion is that which magnifies self above all others. This principle is also seen in Genesis 3 where Satan comes to Eve in the Garden of Eden promising enlargement of self above God. Eve disobeyed the only command given by God because she believed God had withheld something from her and her husband. She was deceived, but Adam was not deceived. He knew God had withheld nothing from them, but decided to follow his wife instead of following God.

False religion is also seen in Genesis 4:1-12 when Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. Abel brought the firstlings of the flock while Cain brought the fruit of the ground. God had respect to the offering of Abel, but not for Cain’s offering. Cain then rose against Abel and killed him. It must be noted that both Cain and Abel had religion. Cain had false religion while Abel had true religion. The result of false religion is clearly seen in the murder of Abel.

The example of Cain further defines false religion as works of the flesh. Just as God rejected the false religious works of Cain, which lead him to murder his brother, God also rejects others whose works are of the flesh, even though those works are considered "religious". Matthew 7:21-23 states, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Here are some who have said the right words, "Lord, Lord", but do not have true religion. They have works of the flesh, but their works are not from the heart. They have preached and cast out devils and done many wonderful works in the name of Jesus Christ. They say they know Jesus, but Jesus does not know them.

This world is filled with false religion as philosophy is preached instead of the gospel. Self-help takes the place of progressive sanctification, holiness is replaced with self-esteem, and humility is replaced with self-confidence.

These examples should suffice to show the difference between true and false religion. False religion is a benefit only to self, while true religion is a benefit to God.

True religion is that which is true before God, regardless of what man thinks.

James 1:26 gives one description of true religion. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. There are people who "seem" to be religious, but the heart of these people is revealed by what they say. True religion causes a person to hold in check or restrain his tongue. This means a person with true religion will refrain from cursing, swearing, threatening and hurting others. What the tongue says comes from the heart. Luke 6:45 states, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Therefore true religion is not just what is in the flesh, but what is in the heart.

James 1:27 also describes true religion. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. This verse explains that true religion is not selfish, but considers others, especially those that cannot help themselves, as widows and orphans. Along with visiting widows and orphans, the person with true religion also keeps himself unspotted from the world. This means he does not willfully sin, or disobey any of the commands of God. He is constantly aware of God’s presence and what God expects.

How does the person with true religion know what God expects? He does not guess, or go by his feelings, or by what somebody tells him, or by what the latest best seller proclaims. Who God is and what he expects is revealed in God’s Bible.

The first thanksgiving was celebrated after a rich harvest in 1621 by the Pilgrims, who are described as Separatists, Calvinist Protestants. By the mid-17^th century, the custom of autumn Thanksgivings was established throughout New England.

The Continental Congress issued the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation on November 1, 1777. Thanksgiving was not celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November as it is now. It is recorded that George Washington ordered a national day of Thanksgiving on December 18, 1777.

Because of the need of a warring country’s continuing grateful prayers to God, the Continental Congresses proclaimed yearly Thanksgiving days during the Revolutionary War, from 1777 to 1783.

According to the Congressional Record of September 25, 1789, Mr. Elias Boudinot, who was president of the Congress during the American Revolution, declared he could not think of letting the congressional session pass without giving the American People the opportunity of thanking Almighty God for his bountiful blessings. The resolution was eagerly passed by the Congress and delivered to President George Washington, who, on October 3, 1789, readily agreed and proclaimed the 26^th day of November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

There were no annual proclamations for a national day of Thanksgiving until the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed November 26, 1863 to be a day of national Thanksgiving after he walked among the 50,000 graves at Gettysburg. He said, "When I left Springfield [to become president] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ."

During that time of internal strife in the United States, and at the turning point in his own spiritual life, President Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving proclamation that was repeated for the following 75 years by subsequent presidents.

President Theodore Roosevelt said, "No people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength, but with the gratitude to the Giver of good who has blessed us."

In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving Day one week earlier to appease merchants who wanted another week of pre-Christmas shopping. Two years later, in 1941, bending to pressure from Congress, President Roosevelt signed a proclamation permanently returning Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November.

Our nation has a rich history of worshipping Almighty God and giving thanks to him for his bountiful blessings. However, as you know, there are forces in this nation who want to remove any public acknowledgement of God.

There are many in our nation who do not want to give thanks to God, or even acknowledge there is a God. Our nation was formed as a republic, which concedes there is a higher power, a higher standard we must reach. But politicians today call our nation a democracy, or "the people rule". God has been removed from the public life of our nation, as if we can continue as a nation without him.

This thanksgiving, be thankful to God for his rich blessings upon us all. Pray that God will bless our nation during this troublesome time. Pray that we may return to the Godly principles established by our forefathers because they worshipped and served Almighty God. Pray we’ll once again do the same.

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