Every year at the back-end of November, families all across the United States take a day off, eat copious amounts of mashed potatoes and gravy, watch American football, and it seems, prepare for Black Friday! Of course this is all done under the name of the holiday, Thanksgiving. Following all this via social media from all the way here in South Africa, one would be forgiven if they thought Thanksgiving was just another excessive American invention that we can put in the same heap with the Kardashians, Las Vegas and dare I say, Donald Trump.
But in reality, Thanksgiving is a pervasive and essential concept in Scripture and in the Kingdom of God. And although it is not at all bad to set aside a day each November to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving, the Scriptures have more to say about giving thanks than one day a year can handle.
Here are three things that thanksgiving does for us:
- THANKSGIVING REPLACES SIN
In the book of Ephesians, Paul writes: “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians.5:4)
Here we see that when Paul calls the Ephesian believers to stop sinning, he also commands them to put thanksgiving in its place. Where sin is selfish and destructive, cultivating a thankful heart stirs up the opposite spirit.
“The key to unlocking a heart of gratitude and overcoming bitterness and ugliness and disrespect and violence is a strong belief in God, the Creator and Sustainer and Provider and Hope-giver. If we do not believe we are deeply indebted to God for all we have or hope to have, then the very spring of gratitude has gone dry.” John Piper
- THANKSGIVING REMINDS US OF WHAT WE TREASURE MOST
When you are going through a tough time and you pause to give thanks, you quickly realize what has the most significant value in your life.
We should endeavour to have our thanksgiving rise in proportion to the value of the object for which we give thanks. Therefore, we should be most grateful for God’s work for us in Christ because it unites us to our highest joy – God himself.
In one of Paul’s letters where he is deeply frustrated and concerned, he begins by saying: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus” (1.Corinthians.1:4)
Paul never tired of giving thanks for the grace of God in Jesus’ person and work. And neither should we.
God has showed His love for us even when we were enemies of God (Romans.5:8); He called us out of darkness and made us heirs of God (Romans.8:17); Jesus bore the punishment we deserved, and we receive His perfect righteousness (2.Corinthians.5:21
- THANKSGIVING RESTORES JOY
In our society, thanksgiving and joy have become conditional events, where we often attach the word “when” to feelings of gratitude and joy.
“When everything in life comes together the way we want it to,” we rationalize, “then we’ll be grateful and joyful.”
-When I finally have sufficient income, I’ll be joyful.
-When my stress on the job improves, I’ll be happy.
-When my health is great, I’ll be joyful.
-When I’m not stretched in a thousand directions, I’ll have time to be grateful and joyful.
-When my children straighten their lives out, I’ll be happy.
-When my spouse and I are in perfect unity, then I’ll be joyful.
Jesus showed us the greatest example the night before He went to his death on the cross when, “he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them” (Luke 22:19)
The pressure was on and as we read just a few hours later, Jesus was in a state of deep anguish. But is was in this circumstance that Jesus lifted his eyes to His Father in thanksgiving and went to the cross “for the joy set before him”.
We are to give thanks in all things at all times—even in the midst of imperfect circumstances. This leads to joy!