Black Friday and Priorities

Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

What is America's favorite holiday? Many will immediately think of Easter, while others think of Christmas. Still others might select New Year's Eve, but none of these are even close. How about Thanksgiving? Though one of the favorites it’s still not number one. . If you define "favorite" as the day people show the most passion and excitement, many Americans' favorite holiday is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday gets its name because so much merchandise is sold on that day that retailers literally see their profit and loss statements move from being in the red to being solidly in the black.

To help you understand the passion this holiday inspires, watch what happens when stores open their doors at 5:00 a.m. Watch as a grown man shoves old ladies aside so they can be the first to grab that season's hottest new video game or computer. Notice how on Thanksgiving Day the lines form before the sunsets. See the effort people exert so they can buy the latest form of technology for just a few dollars. This passion may best be realized by what happened in New York one year. Just a few hours after putting down their Thanksgiving forks, 50,000 people stood in the rain overnight waiting for the 5:00 a.m. opening of the mall. Fifty thousand people— in the rain— just to grab some items on sale!

Where are your priorities? There is nothing wrong with want to get a good deal or save money. Just remember where your priorities are.

Dear Lord we thank You for the many things that You have allowed us to have. We pray that we would never let the things take over our priorities. In Jesus’ name, Amen.