In this final post, we will sum up our study of Thanksgiving by looking at its culmination. We have seen what it means to be thankful, reasons to be thankful, when we should be thankful, and now we need to identify why it is so important to have a thankful heart. Are we obliged to be thankful, or is something we should merely do when we are “in the mood”?
Look for a moment at Psalm 118, verses 15 and 19:
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. (...)
Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord.
An attitude of praise and thankfulness is inextricably linked with the righteous man. You cannot truly appreciate God's character and not develop a thankful heart which seeks to praise the Lord. The more we get to know our Saviour and Father, the less we will focus on the problems and the greater our sense of security and peace will become. After all, if you truly believe that God is your Savior and Provider, will you not have a desire to praise Him regardless of the circumstances? I am well aware of how difficult this can be, but I do truly believe that peace and gratitude will result from our efforts to deepen our relationship with the Father.
In contrast with Psalm 118's linking of rejoicing with the righteous, Romans 1:20-21 paints the picture from the opposite side.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Let's take this passage apart a bit and look at it as a cause and effect statement. Paul is discussing the unsaved Gentile people in general here, and inserts this explanation about their fallen nature. None of them could deny God's power, because it is so clearly shown in creation. As it says, “they are without excuse.” They refused to glorify the Lord, and they refused to give Him thanks for all His mighty works. What is the result? It is twofold: first, they “became futile in their thoughts,” meaning all their philosophy and reasoning ended in emptiness; second, “their foolish hearts were darkened.” Once they willingly blinded themselves to God's prominence in creation, they were unable to see Him in any aspect of life. Obviously, this passage refers to the unsaved, but it does bring out the fact that a failure to be thankful is indicative of a weak, struggling, or non-existent relationship with God. Do we really want to run the risk of neglecting to give God the praise due to His name?
Looking again at Psalm 118, this time at verses 21-24, we can see that the ascribing of praise to God is a direct result of our salvation through Jesus Christ.
I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
When we display an attitude of gratitude to our Savior regardless of whatever life throws at us, it is an incredible testimony to the unbelieving around us! When people see that something inside you enables you to be thankful in the midst of darkness and trials, and that there is a peace about you even in troubling circumstances, that speaks volumes more than simply knocking on a neighbour's door and inviting them to church. Inversely, what kind of a witness do you present if you tell people about the wonderful gift of salvation through Christ and then fail to show yourself grateful for that gift? It is vital that your attitude reflects your words; people are watching. When life gets you down, remember that you have so much to be thankful for in Jesus, and that your choice to be thankful or not very likely will influence the view of Christianity taken by at least a few people you interact with. As Christians, we have not only the opportunity, but also the responsibility to be faithful, thankful stewards of the unspeakable gift provided to us.
Over the course of the last week, we have looked at a few key points of Thanksgiving. We now have an overall understanding of what it is, why we should make a point of observing it, when it is relevant, and how incredibly vital to the Christian walk it is. The challenge today is this: after the Thanksgiving festivities have settled down and our family gatherings have dispersed, when things have gone back to normal- or perhaps worse than normal- will we still be thankful to our Redeemer? Even if you live in a part of the world where the Thanksgiving holiday is not observed, the concept of giving thanks to God is still crucial to your relationship with our Lord. Remember His gift of salvation and the peace we have through that gift. That is cause to be eternally thankful.
In closing, think for a moment on Psalm 95:1-2.
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
May we be ever thankful for God's eternal, undeserved blessing on our lives. Until next time,
Your brother in the faith,
-Jeremy
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