Keeping the Thanks in Thanksgiving

"And thus they [the pilgrims]

found ye Lord to be with them in all their ways, and

to blesse their outgoings & incomings, for which let

his holy name have ye praise for ever, to all posteritie."

--William Bradford in Of Plimoth Plantation 

During this time of year (commonly referred to as "the holidays", since the general public forgets to separate Thanksgiving and Christmas), we as Americans begin a period of thankfulness immediately followed by a instant need for new things-at least in the adult world.  In elementary and secondary schools across the country there are references to the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.  While much detail is not available about the specifics of this day.  It can be seen in the quote above, that the leaders were praising the holy name of the LORD, forever.  Yes, forever, not just when it was convenient, or after they had survived the longest winter of their lives. Reading the entire anthology shows that these Separatists found time to praise God always for his provisions; despite being driven to the Netherlands, stored on a Ship for months, and stuck in a perilous winter, they worshipped and were thankful to God.  This model should be followed by current generations, but it seems being truly thankful, in a heartfelt way, has gone by the wayside (along with many other core Christian values).

This quote also serves as a lead in to my point of remembering that having an attitude of thanks is NOT just a once a year thing.  It is not simply a time of gathering and sharing words that have no meaning; we may SAY we are thankful, but is the statement true?  Or are we just impressing others with our "skill" of stating sayings of gratitude. I know that in reality it is easy to share thoughts that come to our minds without bringing in any heart, that is why an effort must be made to be truthfully thankful.  Being in that emotional state, shows true gratitude over the mental ability to share thanks. It may seem that I am talking in circles, but the point is that we must always have an attitude of gratitude.  NOT just toward others, but we must honor the Lord with our Thanks, praising his holy name forever.

Today in church, my pastor shared with the congregation how God is not only deserving of out thanks because he created the universe and us, but because and attitude of thanksgiving in our hearts draws us away from the world and closer to Him.  If we just take time to observe our natural surroundings, we can find simple things to be thankful for (air, trees, birds, sunlight, eyes, etc), that we forget the complex nature that God placed in each of these objects when he created the world.  His divine nature and omnipotent power should be obvious, unless our spiritual eyes have been clouded by this world and the sin therein.  We are certainly thankful for our lives, in spite of the fact we rarely share it aloud.  I know that personally I am more silent in my sharing/giving thanks, but I am working on sharing more expressively.  Therefore, if we are truly children of God and followers of His son, Jesus, our first inclination should be to give Him praise and thanksgiving.

Throughout David's emotional pleas in the Psalms, there is frequent mentioning of thanking, praising, honoring, glorifying, and singing to God for what He has done.  As His followers we must giving thanks to Him, even in our petitions, as I mentioned in an earlier blog about prayer.  God deserves these because He is God, obviously.  Psalm 100 provides a blueprint for the reasoning and words it much better than I could:

"A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations."

 Again, forever, not just because we are specifically happy or joyous, but always.  Thanksgiving can bring us to guard our hearts from evil.  As mentioned above, we are His because He made us, and for that reason alone we should praise his holy name.  Praise should also be bestowed because He is good and He loves and cares for us faithfully.  Yet, it seems that we have forgotten this, as a culture, as Americans.  We know of God, but we forget to try to know Him more deeply, especially on a positive emotional level.  I am not saying that to know God one must be emotional, rather I am attempting to indicated that to fully know God, and His purpose in our lives, we must allow Him to affect our attitudes and our emotions.  If we turn our eyes from Heaven and focus on thanking things of this world there are consequences.

Being drawn to the world means that we are drawn away from the heart of God and the peace that He gives. Romans 1:21 makes this clear "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."  As the chapter progresses, Paul shares the foolishness and futility that comes to pass if God does not have full control of our lives, AND IF we do NOT thank him for is indescribable gifts.  While we must appreciate the things we have on this earth, those things must not be held in esteem above God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.  Our attitude should be monitored and controlled with the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Above all, our thankfulness should be a mindset (and emotion) of God first.

Putting our faith and trust in God, should naturally force us to honor and glorify Him ALWAYS and praise Him constantly.  Although it is necessary to highlight this need for thanksgiving around the fellowship table, our bond with God should last throughout the year and not just when we need reminded around the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.  Yes, turkey family, food, and football are great things to pass the time on a certain day (thanks Abe Lincoln), they are not what is most worthy of all our praise.  That honor is reserved for the Creator God, let us put the true Thanks back into Thanksgiving, and let us bring praise and glory to our Lord for the blessings that He bestows upon us and for His faithfulness that lasts forever.