Thanksgiving in the Life of a Believer

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess. 5:16-18

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I have been asking God to prepare my heart for this season. Yesterday, I opened God’s Word and began looking up all the places He uses the words “thanksgiving”, “give thanks”, “thankful”, etc., and He began to teach me that “thanksgiving” is not merely something we should do on this holiday. Based on Scripture, like the one above, believers are to have thanksgiving everyday!

Here are a few verses I found just in the book of Colossians:

In our hearts we are to be thankful. (Col. 3:15)
In our songs we are to be thankful. (Col. 3:16)
In our words and in our deeds we are to be thankful. (Col. 3:17)
In our prayers we are to be thankful. (Col. 4:2)

We are to be very thankful people!

As God’s Word began to slowly sink deeper in my mind, I was convicted of having an attitude of ungratefulness. I am ashamed to say that many, many times instead of giving thanks, I complain and grumble. I have looked at the negative, instead of dwelling of the faithfulness of God through it all. I have focused on the things that went wrong, rather than staying focused on all the amazing things God has done.

This saddens me, not only because I am disobeying God’s word and saddening His heart, but because when I complain and dwell on the negative I do not appear to the world as a child of God.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…” Phil. 2:14-16

We live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, but we have a responsibility: we are to shine as lights in the world (Matt. 5:16) and we can do that by being thankful in everything and not complaining. When we chose to give thanks in everything, whether easy or hard, we prove to the world that we are God’s children - that there is something very different about us.

And truly, we who are God’s children have so much to be thankful for. We are the ones who know Jesus, we have abundant life and eternal life, we have a loving Father who watches over us and blesses our lives. We should never cease in giving thanks! We hold fast and hold forth the word of life, for others to see and take hold of for themselves.

Can you believe so much can be done by just being thankful?!

I encourage you to let God use this Thanksgiving season to refocus your heart and mind on the blessings, abundant life, and calling He has given you, and that He would supply the power for us to be thankful in everything and everyday - not just on Thanksgiving.

Let your light shine. Be thankful.