Doesn’t it seem that Thanksgiving was “gobbled” up by football, food, and fun, instead of remembering the beginnings of our nation and the battles won by the grace of God?
There is no better passage of Scripture for Thanksgiving Day than Psalm 100: 4; “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” When we express thanks to God, our focus is on Him, not on ourselves.
We should give thanks to God the Father not only on Thanksgiving, but every day. Everything we have comes from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1: 17 KJV). We can’t take credit for anything, not even our successes. God gave us our ability and opportunities. Therefore, the Bible says, “Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.” (Psalm 106: 1 KJV). We are to “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 18, KJV).
A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God not only in the times of joyfulness, but also in the midst of trials. We should not let a day go by without thanking God for His mercy and grace to us, found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
When thanksgiving is filled with true meaning, and is not just the formality of a polite “thank you,” it is the recognition of true dependence. It is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver. Certainly, we should thank God for what He has done for us, for He gives out of His abundant grace to an underserving people. Let’s show thankfulness in our hearts toward God everyday.
Colossians 3: 16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Folks, Thanksgiving has got to be one of the most underrated holidays in America. Once Halloween is over and the Jack- O - Lanterns has been put away, the Christmas frenzy takes over. Holiday commercials start to play on TV, stores decorate the aisles with Christmas trees, lights, snowflakes and mistletoe and people start to hang the lights on their houses while it is still somewhat mild temperature wise and there is no snow on the ground.
It’s not all that surprising really, the Christmas spirit is pretty infectious and for business it’s a lot harder to profit from a holiday that emphasizes thankfulness.
This is how many people must feel, even Christians, and treat the idea of thankfulness in general. We are much faster at coming up with a list of things we want for Christmas than a list of things we are grateful for. It’s pretty easy for our prayers to become filled with phrases like, “God, please give me, or God, I need, etc…” We get so tied up at what God can do for us that we forget about what He has already done for us and has already given us. Luckily, God is good at reminding us what’s important.
A few weeks ago, I was getting in my truck to go to the store and was greeted by a lady walking down the sidewalk in front of my house.
“Good morning,” she said, “How are you doing today?” I thought for a second and trying to sound a little humorous, I said, “Well it’s a Thursday.”
“Now, now she said,” “It’s a good day, think about it, you are walking and breathing.” I thought for a minute and said to myself “You, can’t rally argue with that.”
So, not only on Thanksgiving day with all the football, turkey dinners, etc. we need to be encouraged and take a moment everyday to pray and simply thank Christ for the things in our lives we already have. Whether it is for a home, family, or a hot meal, remember to give thanks everyday. Remember to think God for His Son who went to the cross for us all. God is good. Thank Him for your blessings.