By Glen Bowman, Minister at 3rd & Kilgore Church of Christ
There are many holidays that we celebrate which aren’t directly mentioned in the Bible. However, God may have ideas about if and how we should celebrate those things. Thanksgiving is one where the idea is mentioned repeatedly in Scripture. Of course, nothing is mentioned about the pilgrims or turkey, but rather the idea of giving thanks! Let’s look at what the Bible says about Thanksgiving as a concept, not just the holiday once a year.
In general, God repeatedly tells us to give thanks! The Biblesays, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His love endures forever!” This exact sentence is written not just one time in Scripture, but five times (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1, 29). Clearly, God wants us to give thanks to Him based on His nature!
When and what should we give thanks for? In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, it says to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” There’s never a situation where we shouldn’t give God thanks. Even beyond that, it says to give “thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Not only should we give thanks at all times and in all circumstances, we’re supposed to thank God for everything! That may be difficult at times, but if we realize that He’s working everything together for good in our lives (Romans 8:28), it can be much easier.
Of course, we were probably taught to say, “Thank you” as a child when someone does something kind for us. Naturally, we should do the same for God who blesses us greatly! This reminder in James 1:17 helps us to remember where our blessings come from: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Even when people are generous to us, God often works to bring that about (e.g., Exodus 12:36; Ezra 1:1). We should give thanks to Him for every good and perfect gift that we receive!
Thanksgiving should also be a state of mind instead of just a repetitive action. Colossians 3:15 ends by saying that we should“be thankful.” That sounds simple, but if we think that we deserve more or better than what we have, maybe we aren’t thankful enough. We should “offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most High” (Psalm 50:14). Our thanksgiving should be a sacrifice, not just an occasional mention of it when something exceptionally good happens. We probably appreciate it when people are abundantly thankful for what we’ve done and mention it repeatedly. Shouldn’t we have this attitude towards God and all the blessings that He keeps giving us?
David puts it well in Psalm 7:7, when he writes, “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” God could punish us for what our sins deserve, or even worse, since He’s in control. However, He chooses to have mercy on us every single day (Lamentations 3:22-23; Psalm 30:5). He gives us “life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25), so we should thank Him for everything! It’s ok to celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy, but every day should be a day of Thanksgiving to the God who generously blesses us with so much. Let’s give thanks and celebrate Thanksgiving all day,every day!
