We have read in the past about thanksgiving and what it means. We have heard many different stories how it started, and which one is the right one, all cannot be right, maybe just parts of each is right.

It is a time for families to get together for a day of giving thanks to God for the blessing that God has given to each of us this last year. In many ways, Thanksgiving has become more secular and less religious. 

As Thanksgiving draws upon us this year, we should think deeply of all the Blessings God has given us this past year and thank Him for them.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year because I love the gathering with all my family, children, and grandchildren, together at one location and see how they have grown this last year.  This is the only time we can really get together because of different religious views, different living locations. 

Everyone has to make an effort to come together.  It is something I cannot thank them enough.  Same with church service.  It is an effort to get together and worship the Creator God.

But we should never be guilty of only thanking the Lord on this day only, even on Thanksgiving Day, a Day a grateful Nation set aside to recognize God for all the Blessings He has bestowed upon us!

Philippians 4:6 Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving.

Greek:  eucharistia:  yoo-khar-is-tee’-ah

From G2170; gratitude; actually grateful language (to God, as an act of worship): – thankfulness, (giving of) thanks (-giving).

But did you know there is a divinely scheduled Thanksgiving Day in the Scriptures.  Today, tomorrow and the next day, we are told.

Daniel 6:10 When Daniel learned that the written document had been signed, he went to an upstairs room in his house that had windows opened facing Jerusalem. Three times a day he would kneel down, pray, and give thanks to his God, just as he had previously done.

Every day was Thanksgiving for Daniel; and should be for us as well.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything be thankful, because this is God’s will for you in the Messiah Jesus.

Psalms 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

What about those Christians who do not give thanks to God.

Not giving thanks to God is dangerous to ourselves and to others.

It dishonors God and leads to being dependence on man rather than God

Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, and their senseless hearts were darkened.

When we thank God, we recognize that God exists and our total dependence on Him for everything.

Let me asks, is not this day of thanksgiving representing one of giving “thank you” to our Lord and Creator. 

What are some of the things we should be thankful.

Ecclesiastes tells us there is nothing new under the sun (1:6) that is new information, but it is good to review some of the blessings God has given us in our spiritual and physical life and what a future we have waiting for each of us.  There are so many promises God has given us.

Do we really stop and take time to give thanks to the Father who He is, and give thanks to Jesus, our Lord who He is. 

Sometimes just sitting outside in our back yards and think of the miracles I see in the back yard. 

The birds, bird feeders, squirrels, and all the flowers and plants, thinking on these creation of God, color, how they are put together.

Some of the things we know about from the Scriptures we should be thankful for.

When we read about the fruit of the Spirit, there are 9 descriptions of what God is all about and how we should be like Him.  Taken together they present important information on the character of the Father and Jesus.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is {1} love, {2} joy, {3} peace, {4} patience or longsuffering, {5} kindness, {6} goodness, {7} faithfulness, (23) {8} gentleness or meekness, and {9} self-control or temperance. There is no law against such things.

Ephesians 5:8-9 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, (9) for the fruit that the light produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Jesus produces these things

When should be give thanks to our Lord and Creator.  Let’s meditate about some of the blessings He has given to each of us.

God’s gift of salvation to each of us

Psalms 95:1-2 Come! Let us sing joyfully to the LORD! Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation. (2) Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us shout with songs of praise to him.

Jonah 2:9  But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.“

God’s greatest gift to us is the sacrifice of Jesus, our Rock of our salvation, so we may have the gift of salvation of eternal life.

We do not deserve it because of our sins, nor could we earn eternal life. Yet God, in His mercy and grace, forgave our sins and will give us eternal life when Jesus returns to the earth to rule with us as His helpers.

Because Jesus took our sins on Him, became sin, we get to escape the punishment and death we deserved. In our lifetime, we could never be able to thank God for this gift of salvation.

God’s Love for each one of us

Psalms 107:21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his gracious love, and for his awesome deeds for mankind.

God has a love for all mankind, but He has a special Love for those who believe and follow Him. A love that adopts us into His family and makes us co-heirs with Jesus and be changed when Jesus returns to the earth.

Nothing will ever separate us from that love, and it will endure forever. God unfailing love for us, we should be thankful in attitude all the time.

God’s presence in each of us, living in us

Psalms 140:13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name, while the upright live in your presence.

God is always with us, since we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

God wants to be involved in the little matters of our everyday lives. But God cares so much about us that He stays with us throughout our lives, and sometimes have to correct us because He loves us.

On the contrary, He is always ready to listen to us and guide us. And one day, we will get to stand in His physical and or spiritual presence and see Him face-to-face.

God provides, protects, and help each of us

Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I received help. My heart rejoices, and I give thanks to him with my song.

As long as we seek first the Kingdom of God, God will provide what we will need. 

No matter what happens in life, we will never lack for anything. God promises to meet all our needs, maybe not wants. We can be like children and not worry about anything because we know our Heavenly Father will provide us.

Moreover, He also promises to help us in our time of need when we approach His throne of grace in prayer. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we are always taken care of one way or the other?

God promise that we will share in the inheritance of the Saints

Colossians 1:12 and might thank the Father, who has enabled us to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

We must be thankful that God has nailed our former selves to the cross. Not only are we a new creation, but He is making us like Him: holy and perfect.

He intentionally puts in situations that will sanctify us and take us from glory to glory until the final day when He finishes the good work He began in us. And on that day, we will stand holy and blameless before Him

Remembering, when we went through the sacrifices, there was one sacrifice called thanksgiving.

Leviticus 22:29  And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will.

There are thanksgiving psalms

Nehemiah 12:8  Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren.

There are thanksgiving choirs

Nehemiah 12:40  So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me;

When we go before our God in prayer

Psalms 95:2  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

Psalms 100:1-5  A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!  (2)  Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  (3)  Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  (4)  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and Bless His name.  (5)  For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

We are thankful for the health we have enjoyed in all cases, and for God’s being merciful to us in our days of trial, (I had 2 cancers, heart problems, Pacemaker)

God goodness in now sparing our lives in these days of our lives;

We are thankful for our children, grandchild, their spouses and our friends may be preserved from danger and death,

We are thankful how often God has interceded to save us from ourselves;

When we realize we have sin, we pray for forgiveness, and by Gods Grace.

We of all people, realizing we are to be given the greatest gift that we will be changed in the twinkle of the eye and become Spirit Being, the son of the Most High God, the Bride of our Lord, to serve with Him for all eternality.    What more can a person ask for.  This is why we should always be thankful and have the attitude of being with gratitude.

Our prayers should always start with thanksgiving.  Apostle Paul’s prayers always seems to begin with thanksgiving

Philippians 1:3-4 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,  (4)  always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,

Ephesians 5:20  giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Thanksgiving is not occasional; it’s continual. In all things. Remember, Paul was a prisoner when he wrote those words. 

There are so many other things we can thank God for beyond this list. So, praise His name with a song and magnify him with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30) now and forever.

Thanksgiving as an act that transforms us, that soothes our soul, which heals us. It’s not just a good old song. It is good theology. It’s good living. And the invitation of this psalm is to draw close to the God of enduring grace who will never let you go.

And then to thank Him for who He is, for what He has made, for what He has done, and for what He is doing right now in our life.

This is the lesson we should learn about Thanksgiving, always in the attitude of giving thanks to God and this attitude to be part of our everyday life.

As Thanksgiving draws upon us this year, we should think deeply of all the Blessings He has given us this past year and thank Him for them.

Things to remember

Faith:  Thank you for the gift of faith, Jesus faith is in us

Family:  Thank You for giving me my family, blood and church,  as part of Your plan for me. 

God’s word:  Jesus — Your Word. It guides me, comforts me and gives me hope.

Prayers of the Holy Spirit:  the Holy Spirit understands my weaknesses and that He prays for me according to Your perfect will.

Love:  I remember that You are love and You do love me, I have hope.

Daily Problems:  the trials of this life because they draw me to You and remind me that this earth is not my home.

Suffering:  who accepted their suffering for the gospel, believing that You would work it all for Your good purpose

Creation:  see a beautiful sunrise in the morning sky, watch a hummingbirds, birds and squirrels outside our dining window, the beauty of nature how great You are.  The fence is still standing.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities; his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Matthew 6:25-30 “So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things—food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body—and they are far more important than what to eat and wear.  (26)  Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. 

(27)  Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?  (28)  “And why worry about your clothes? Look at the field lilies! They don’t worry about theirs.  (29)  Yet King Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as beautifully as they.  (30)  And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you, O men of little faith?

Think of this as we approach Thanksgiving.

Every day, we need to give you thanks in every circumstance that we are in.