As a national holiday commemorating the
pilgrim's first winter in the "new world" the Bible says nothing about
Thanksgiving. As a year round condition of the heart the Bible says
plenty about thankfulness.
In Colossians 3:15, the Bible says, "And let
the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in
one body; and be thankful." In Psalms 100:4, the Bible says, "Enter into
His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be
thankful to Him, and bless His name."
The Bible says that gratitude is not a
condition of the heart that is assumed. When Jesus cleansed the ten men
with leprosy only one came back to thank Him. The Bible says that the
one who returned was an unlikely candidate for showing gratitude, at
least in the mind of the average Jew, because he was a Samaritan (Luke
17:11-20).
In Ephesians 5:4, Paul says that "giving of
thanks" is the "fitting" or appropriate thing for a christian to do. In
1 Thessalonians 5:18, the Bible says, "In everything give thanks; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." In 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul
wrote, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" The writer of
the book of Hebrews says, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the
sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving
thanks to His name," (Hebrews 13:15).
When christians pray the Bible says that giving
thanks should be a part of what we communicate to God. In Colossians
4:2, the Bible says, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it
with thanksgiving;" In Philippians 4:6, Paul teaches, "Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" To fail in
offering our gratitude to Clod is to be unworthy of the many blessings
we are given (2 Timothy 3:1-2).
At this season of Thanksgiving we should
remember that God gives blessing the year round. The expression of our
gratitude should be as constant as the riches we receive. May God help
us to remember to give Him the thanks He is due all during the year.