The strange juxtaposition of Thanksgiving and Black Friday

There is something anachronistic in the fact that America’s day to focus on giving thanks for what we have is followed immediately by America’s day to shop for what we don’t have. Black Friday was 2023’s most popular day for in-store shopping, with 76.2 million shoppers visiting brick-and-mortar locations. It was also the most popular day for online shopping, with 90.6 million US consumers shopping in this way. Both were up significantly from the year before. But buying (and even giving) more stuff is apparently not making us happier:

• Among twenty-four countries surveyed, Americans are the least likely to feel close to others in our country or community.
• In the last election, 82 percent of voters said they want to see “substantial change” or “complete and total upheaval” in the US.
• We are experiencing “the collapse of self-worth” in our digital age.
• Horror novel sales rose 54 percent last year.
• Our partisan divisions are persisting: 86 percent of Republicans are optimistic after the election, while only 11 percent of Democrats say the same.

No place in America typifies consumption like Las Vegas, which sees more hotel visits than any other city in the country. Three-fourths of all visits to the city happen in the afternoon and evening hours when dining, shopping, gambling, and shows predominate.

At the same time, more people die by suicide every year in Las Vegas than in any other place in America. Large hotels in the city are especially known as suicide magnets, in part for those who’ve lost their life savings at the gaming tables. For this reason, most Las Vegas hotel rooms have neither balconies nor windows that open more than an inch or two to permit ventilation.

“Hope contains three experiences”

In such times, counsel on finding hope is not hard to find. Time recently published an article, for example, advising us:

Hope contains three experiences. First, a goal, something positive that may or may not occur in the future. Second, willpower, the desire to achieve that goal, and third, way power, a path through which to pursue it.

But how do we find such a goal? And the willpower and the path to achieve it?

David Brooks, the celebrated New York Times columnist, offered similar advice, stating that the best way to tackle negative behaviors is by “redirecting attention toward different, positive ones” as we “displace bad behavior with different good behavior.”

But how do fallen human beings consistently find the strength to “displace bad behavior” to which we are perennially tempted?

No one in human history had better intentions than David, the one person God described as “a man after my heart” (Acts 13:22). Unsurprisingly, the king testified: “I will ponder the way that is blameless . . . I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. . . . A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil” (Psalm 101:2–4).

Some scholars believe this psalm was composed for or by David at his coronation as king and that it was used during an annual celebration of his enthronement. If so, it is clear that David did not live up to his vow, as his horrific sin with Bathsheba later demonstrated (2 Samuel 11).

Clearly, we need God’s help to keep God’s word and obey God’s will. The good news is that “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

What is this “way of escape”?

“The sin under all other sins”

Some years ago, I joined a group of pastors who gathered to discuss ways to combat the pornography epidemic among men in our churches. One of the pastors cut to the chase. After agreeing that we should warn against the dangers of porn and encourage our people to take proactive steps such as putting filters and accountability software on their computers, he stated that what men need most is to be more in love with Jesus.

Tim Keller similarly claimed: “The sin under all other sins is a lack of joy in Christ.” Think about his words in light of the last sin you committed. If you had experienced true “joy in Christ” when you were tempted, would you have fallen to temptation?

As A. B. Simpson observed, “One touch of Christ is worth a lifetime of struggling.”

I do not mean to minimize the challenges and hard work essential to overcoming temptation and addiction. But I do mean to say that an intimate relationship with Jesus can empower us to defeat these enemies.

This is why Thanksgiving should be not just an annual holiday but a perpetual lifestyle. It is when we “enter his gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4) that God meets us, helps us, encourages us, and transforms us into the character of his Son (Romans 8:29).

Oswald Chambers was right: “Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.” When we live a life of gratitude, we will testify with Charles Spurgeon, “I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.”

“To spend thyself nor count the cost”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted, “Your life as a Christian should make nonbelievers question their disbelief in God.” To live in such a God-glorifying way, the Anglican priest and poet Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy encouraged us to respond to God’s grace with lives of grateful service:

To give and give, and give again,
What God hath given thee;
To spend thyself nor count the cost;
To serve right gloriously
The God Who gave all worlds that are,
And all that are to be.

Will you “serve right gloriously” today?

NOTE: It’s Black Friday! Today only, you can take 40% off select Denison Forum resources. Whether you need help navigating the latest headlines or want biblical insight for everyday life, now’s the perfect time to stock up and save. Your discount will be automatically applied at checkout, but act fast — the sale ends tonight at midnight! Shop the sale now.

Friday news to know:

• Australian Parliament bans social media for under-16s with world-first law
• Mexican president says she is confident that a tariff war with the US can be averted
• Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at New York Thanksgiving parade
• Multiple Democrats say they were targeted by Thanksgiving bomb threats
• On this day in 1947: UN votes for partition of Palestine

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good. He came into the world to make dead men live!” —Leonard Ravenhill