Thank God!

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Thanksgiving holiday? Turkey, football, day off from job or school, family get-together, hunting, over-eating, parades, day before the biggest shopping day of year, orange/brown/yellow fall colors, pilgrims, cranberry, pies (Mmmm!)? Wait a minute!  What about being thankful?  Where does that fit in?  Many of those elements I just mentioned are part of my Thanksgiving history, but the Thanksgiving holiday is supposed to include thanksgiving, isn’t it?  Do you ever stop and think, “What do I do to emphasize thanksgiving on Thanksgiving?” How important is the thanksgiving element to your Thanksgiving, to you life?

God’s Word teaches us that we are to be thankful, and not just one day a year.  The Thanksgiving holiday time of the year, above all things, should remind us of the importance of giving thanks and to whom we are most grateful to; God!

In studying the character and life of the Apostle Paul as recorded in the Bible, I am amazed at how God-centered his thanksgiving was.  I looked at every verse Paul wrote and any verse about Paul in relation to the subject of giving thanks.  He wrote a few exhorting statements to different audiences that they are to be thankful, but most of the verses I found related to Paul and the subject of thanksgiving, were about Paul himself giving thanks.  And who was he giving thanks to almost every time?  God!

Paul thanked God for acts of God.  For example, 2 Cor. 9:15 NKJV Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Paul also thanked God for people of God.  First, for individuals (for example, Paul thanked God for Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:3).  Secondly, Paul thanked God for groups of people (Rom. 1:8a ESV First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you..). Sometimes Paul did not just show “his” gratitude but also the gratitude of his ministry partners as well, such as Timothy and Silvanus (Col. 1:3 ESV We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you).  In this verse, Paul was speaking on behalf of himself & Timothy who both thanked God for the believers of Colosse for their faith, love, and spiritual fruit.

Paul is someone who got thanksgiving right because he knew how to thank God first and foremost even when he let people know he was thankful for them.  If Paul was thankful for someone or something, Paul thanked God and gave the glory to God. Paul knew of the goodness of God and His sovereignty and that God should be our true object of thanksgiving.  

Our highest goal in every thought, feeling, and act of thanksgiving is to thank God and oh, is there much to be thankful for.  Try writing down things that come to mind that you are thankful for.  For example, be thankful for God Himself (this is a form of praise, focusing on who God is) and about what God has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future (as revealed in Scripture).  Think about the people you are thankful for.  Turn your list into a prayer and pray thanks to God.  Tell God what and who you are thankful for and thank Him for this.  God loves to hear thanksgiving from His children.

Perhaps one of my prayers of thanksgiving would begin like this; God, I praise You for who You are and what You do.  Help me to know You better and learn more about You and Your works so I can praise You more thoroughly.  Thank You for life and eternal life. Thank You for Kym, the wife You have graciously given me.  Thank You for our three boys, Luke, Josh, and Zach and our new baby girl, Elle.  Thank You for provision and protection.  Thank You for Your mercy and help in my life. Thank You for the challenges You place in my life to grow me in my dependence on You.  Thank You for teachable moments.  Thank You for affirmation, assurance, and encouragement.  Thank You for people who love and pray for me and my family.  Thank You for what you are doing in and through the people and ministries of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University.  Thank You for Your calling and equipping in my life.  And on and on I go as I become more specific and intimate with God, giving Him thanks.

God is so worthy and deserving of our praise and thanksgiving toward Him.  Let this time of the year be a reminder to us that we are to thank and praise God, not just one day a year, but on a continual basis.  

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100 NIV).

Thank you God!  I love you God!  Teach us and help us to be thankful to You always, in everything, for we have much to be thankful for, more than we know.

Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

(Eph. 5:20 NKJV).

What are your thoughts about God-centered thanksgiving?

 

Mike