11.21.06
Thanksgiving…Why?
Now that our national holiday of Thanksgiving is upon us, perhaps a little reflection is in order. Contrary to what you may have learned in the public school system or heard on the television or radio, our Thanksgiving celebration is NOT a secular holiday. Do a little research for yourself and learn why our pilgrims began this day of ‘giving thanks to our sovereign creator and benefactor’. Hint…they were not thanking the indians for taking care of them, they were expressing their thanks and gratitude to God for taking care of them. Read the original writings and proclamations of the individuals who were at that first celebration, instead of reading the musings of historical reconstructionalists.
Now that that is out of the way, the question is why? Why should we give thanks anyway? Who should we thank for what we have worked hard to achieve or acquire?
The practice of giving thanks is a purely ‘natural’ response when we take off our blinders and see reality. That is, when we see life from God’s perspective. Gratitude comes from knowing the truth…truth about how and why we are blessed. Ingratitude comes from a self-ish worldview.
God tells us in his word why we should give thanks…Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…James 1:17. We must give thanks because everything that we have is from God, not from ourselves. We must also give thanks because ingratitude is sin. We are told in Romans 1:21 that a departure from God’s way showed up as …”For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
To acquire the proper perspective on thanksgiving, it is helpful to go to the book of Psalms in the Old Testament. The psalmists were adept at expressing their gratitude, and the reasons for their gratitude to God. See Psalm 136 which begins with “Give Thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” and there is a repeating phrase throughout the psalm following each reason to be thankful which states “His love endures forever”. THAT is a great reason to give your thanks to the Lord!
The ultimate reality is understanding that you can have all the good things that this life has to offer, yet if you do not have peace with God through Jesus Christ the Savior, you do not have anything of value or true worth. God’s greatest gift to us is redemption and salvation, which he freely gives through his son. As believers, we MUST be constantly thanking God for his reconciling us to himself through Christ’s death and resurrection.
If you are having a hard time being grateful this week, I encourage you to take some time to read and meditate on Psalm 136, and then bow your heart to the Lord in agreement with the Psalmist’s closing words, “Give thanks to the God of heaven, His love endures forever!”
