“O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.” Psalm 106:1.
The Bible tells us time and again to be thankful. Gratitude is a trait of the twice-born. I think you will agree that grace and gratitude are inextricable interwoven. It seems unlikely that one can know God and not be grateful!
So for us as believers, Thanksgiving is far above being a day of hearty feasting and being entertained by sports. It is a very wonderful opportunity to exercise our sacred duty and high privilege of praising God for His goodness and mercy to us.
We are commanded to be thankful. And we know that God delights in the praises of His people. Therefore, you and I need to ask how we can be a thankful people at this season. I want to suggest several things that you will find are important as you consider how.
The Bible, says, “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God … the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). True thanksgiving begins in the heart and flows upward as we lift our prayers and songs of gratitude to God. Our first act of Thanksgiving should be to reach up to God with our hands and hearts laden with our sacrifices of praise.
Here’s a second step to being a thankful people: We need to reach out to others with a generous sprit. One way you can do this is by sharing with us at Love Worth Finding and with others what you are thankful for this year. And why not invite others to your Thanksgiving celebration.
A third way we can be thankful people this year is to reach back into our nation’s history and bring forward the truth about Thanksgiving that is in grave danger of being lost.
We are literally seeing American history rewritten. We are failing to teach our children that our pilgrim forbearers were men and women of stalwart faith and saturated with thanksgiving to God. It should not surprise us; therefore, that America has forgotten how to be a thankful people. When people forget God, ingratitude is one inevitable result.
In the New Living Translation, we find an interesting depiction of this truth in this version of Romans 1:21: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused.”
What can we do to restore a spirit of thanksgiving? We can proclaim the truth that all we are and all we have are a gift from God’s hand. We can remind each other of God’s goodness. And we can show the world our thanksgiving for all that He has done.
At this special season, the family of Love Worth Finding Ministries is grateful to God for you and we praise God for your prayers and partnership in this work. Our prayer for you this Thanksgiving is that your heart will be filled and brimming over with praise to God!
Perhaps these thoughts will make your Thanksgiving even more special:
