This week is Thanksgiving, a day to remind ourselves of everything that we have to be thankful for. Many would trace back our National holiday back to a Thanksgiving celebration of the Pilgrims in 1621. They had endured much in their journey to America and establishing a home here. So they gathered to give thanksgiving to God for His help and provision after a bountiful harvest. Abraham Lincoln was the first President to fix the date as the last Thursday in November and proclaim a national holiday. Yet, the whole concept of thanksgiving has its origin in the Bible and it’s teachings.
As believers, God wants us to not just celebrate Thanksgiving one day a year. He wants us to have hearts of thanksgiving all through the year. Who do you think has more joy in their life? The person who always complains or the person who always give thanks?
So, today, my message is entitled “Growing in Thanksgiving.” Giving thanks is an activity that we can grow in. Thanksgiving is a good habit that can be learned and benefited from. Let’s look at a verse from the Old Testament about giving thanks.
Psalm 107:1 (NIV) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
This verse is one of many verses urging believers to give thanks. Psalm 107:1 is not a suggestion, it is a command to give thanks. Notice that we are to give thanks to the Lord. Giving thanks is not just an attitude, it is a prayer that is directed to God who provides us with all the good gifts that we enjoy in life. This particular verse gives us to reasons to give thanks to the Lord. We give thanks because He is good and His loves endures forever. No matter what you are going through in life this morning, you can give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and His love.
Let’s look at a verse from the New Testament about thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
This verse is a command, just like the verse from Psalms that we just read. Here God’s Word commands us to give thanks in all situations. Situations that are difficult and situations where we are being blessed. The command is emphasized as the verse says that giving thank is God’s will for us. Giving thanks is not something that we ought to do when we feel like it, it is something that we ought to do by a decision of our will in every circumstance.
As we go through life, we have many opportunities to give thanks. To sit in the Thanksgiving Chair, we make a choice to focus our mind on God in prayer and give Him thanks, for Himself and for His blessings in our lives. How many times have you sat in the Thanksgiving Chair this past week? God wants each one of us to grow in thanksgiving. Today, we’re going to go through a short passage in Philippians and learn how to grow in thanksgiving.