Today is Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving, yet I would bet many of us are still feeling the side effects of our Thanksgiving feast.

Most of us ate until we were full … then just kept on eating until we were miserable. That brought on a vow never to eat again (well, at least not until Friday and then to eat more sensibly), a vow which lasted until Thursday evening when someone brought out the leftover pumpkin pie.

Yes, ‘tis the season to overindulge––whether it be eating or spending money, because Thanksgiving Day gives way to holiday parties and the Christmas buying frenzy. At some point during the season we say “ENOUGH!” as we determine that you can have too much of a good thing.

And as we tell ourselves every year, overindulgence is never the answer. We may be immediately satiated but we are rarely satisfied. We are either left despondent over our lack of self-control or anxious over the bills we have mounted.

The Bible is very clear on both not overeating and not going into debt. My favorite verses regarding overeating are I Corinthians 10:31 which reminds us that all we do should glorify God, even our eating and drinking, while Proverbs 23:2 doesn’t mince words: “And put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.” That advice will make you reconsider your second helping of stuffing, won’t it?

Though the Bible encourages us to be generous with what we have (emphasis added), it strictly advocates not going into debt. Proverbs 37:21 says, “The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.”

God is not against giving––even sacrificial giving as we see with the poor widow giving her last mite, but still she gave out of what she had.

Finally, Romans 13:8 states, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

And isn’t that what these two holidays are really all about? Love? Thanksgiving is all about thanking God for His love and provision for us during the year and being with family and friends.

And Christmas? What greater love could ever be given than for God to give up His glory in heaven, to be born a human child destined to be a sacrifice unto death for us “while we were yet sinners.”

This holiday season rather than focusing on what our stomach or past gift-buying practices demand, let us focus on God’s greatest command:   “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

As most of you have probably guessed by now, I am a golf enthusiast. I love both the nice walk with friends and the thrill of the competition. Occasionally, however, I like many other golfers of my ability, take the game a bit too seriously, and let errors and inconsistent play get the better of me, and I show my frustration. One golfer once commented to another golfer who was of average ability and getting very upset, “You aren’t that good to get that mad.” And that’s true.

Therefore, one of my favorite competitions is the Par 3 tournament that my golf club puts on, because it is all about fun and a lot of luck, with a light dose of skill.

Every hole is turned into a par three. On one occasion, we are teeing off from the 3rd hole tee box, back over a ravine and between some trees to the flag on the second green. On another, we hit back across the road to a blind green. Even the regular par three holes have a new and intriguing look. Needless to say, it is a creative set up that is both challenging and fun, but not one that is meant to be taken seriously.

I only bring this up because sometimes we take the pleasure out of those things in our lives that are supposed to bring us enjoyment and relaxation by taking them too seriously. Life has enough truly serious issues for us to deal with that we don’t need to fabricate more.

God created this world and all that is in it for man to care for and enjoy, and on the day of creation He pronounced it all good. Of course, since man’s fall, the world has lost some of its luster, but it is still there for our enjoyment. May we keep everything in a proper perspective.

Today is Veteran’s Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the UK. The two differ slightly. In the U.S. the day honors all who have served in the military. In contrast, the UK and its Commonwealth members honor just those who have fallen in the line of duty, much like we do on Memorial Day.

Last year, I had the privilege of being in the UK on Remembrance Day, and across the country, at exactly 11 a.m. (11/11/11), everyone observed two minutes of silence, the first a time of thanksgiving for those for those who had returned alive. The second minute was to remember the fallen.

There is one element that represents Remembrance Day more than any other, and that is the red poppy. Almost every citizen wears a paper remembrance poppy in the weeks leading up to the November 11, and then poppy wreaths are laid at various memorials on the day itself. A few years ago, a sea of ceramic red poppies (888,246—the number of colonial lives lost in the first world war) were planted outside the Tower of London. Perhaps you had seen pictures. It was both breath-taking and moving.

The symbolic remembrance poppy grew out of the poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae at the battlefront on May 3, 1915, during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium.

Here it is below if you have never read it, or you would like to read it again, and this Veterans Day/Remembrance Day, let’s once again thank those who have served and remember those who have died in defense of our countries.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Almost two, maybe three years ago, this statement issued by then presidential candidate Donald Trump polarized the American public. Many placed their faith and hope in the man proclaiming it, while others voiced their skepticism in the candidate or dissension toward his claim, believing America was still great.

Regardless, no one will ever forget this slogan.

One reason the slogan found traction and favor was because much of the citizenry viewed America as having lost its shine and slipping in the ranks of greatness. The policies these citizens believed made America great had been forgotten or set aside.

I do not intend to debate whether this view is right or not, but  merely to state that I don’t believe (just like many of you don't) that a mortal man can make America great again . . . no matter how much we believe in him. Though the fight for America looks like it is being played out in Washington and in the various elections that take place across the nation,  and yes, a man can effect change, this is a spiritual warfare. And the only way to make America great again is for God and the fear of God to make its way back in our country.

Here are three of the many verses regarding nations and their relationship with God. One of encouragement, one of warning, and one of hope. May America take note.

Psalm 33:12––Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Isaiah 60:12––For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste.

2 Chronicles 7:14––If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.