Thankfulness to Our Lord

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday it is important that we have a biblical understanding of what this concept means to the Lord Jesus who we serve as Christians. Today we will examine the grammatical nature of the word, what it means, and how the Devil, Satan has corrupted its meaning to defer the proper praise to God that He, the Lord demands. Additionally, we will look at many relevant verses discussing this topic.

The word “thanksgiving”, or simply “giving thanks”, is an action word that is a verb, and shows movement from a subject propelled by an action to a direct object. We see various signs or people telling us to “give thanks” or similarly “believe”.  When we use these words without any direct object, it is the work of Satan actively trying to convince us that it is sufficient to use these verbs alone with no destination or direct object.  This does not make sense, and is left open to meaning whatever a person wants it to mean.

Jesus had this to say to Satan when debating with him in the wilderness after He had fasted for 40 days:

Matthew 4:8-10

⁸ Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; ⁹ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. ¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (KJV).

In another set of verses from the book of Matthew, Jesus gave us the reasons for our mission in the world, which is to glorify our Father who is in heaven:

Matthew 5:13-16

¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. ¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (KJV).

The Lord God told the nation Israel that there is a time coming when they will know that God is the only one Who is to be worshipped and praised:

Isaiah 43:20–21

²⁰The beasts of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen, ²¹the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise (ASV, 1901)

Any deviation from a direct worship of God and specifically giving thanksgiving to Him for all He has done is nothing short of idolatry. Idolatry represents the level of degradation into which cultures have sink when people’s overindulgence in mind-altering experiences, occultic, practices, and sexual immorality. Through these practices, self-worth of the individual becomes eroded to the point of rendering idolators incapable of seeing the image of God in the spirit of man. This leads to murder, and is not too difficult to commit when one does not recognize the divine origin of a human being. Christ said a time is again coming on this earth when, because of increased wickedness, people’s love for one another will grow cold:

Matthew 24:12-14

¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. ¹³ But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (KJV).

The evolutionary model of human origin prevalent today, for which there is no evidence, promotes the belief that the human body and spirit are not at all related to divine origin. This is the opposite of God’s view that sin of idolatry defiles the divine in us, and in our souls. God wants us ourselves to be undefiled by idol worship:

Proverbs 4:23

²³Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. (ASV, 1901)

 

“Keep thy heart with all diligence” in the verse above means it is important for a believer to keep a strict guard upon our souls, to keep our hearts from doing harm to others, and to keep ourselves from getting hurt. God commands this for a good reason because out of our heart comes the source, or “issues of life”. As additional preparation to guard ourselves, we should continually seek the Lord Jesus, our living water, our sanctifying Spirit, and the only One who will issue us forth into everlasting life. It is to Him we give our heartfelt thanks and worship.

Not guarding our hearts is exactly what the Satan and his fallen angels continually look for so they can deceive an uncareful person. The pollution of our souls that causes us to turn from God, and seek after inordinate pleasure will lead to bloodshed, which is their desired goal. One can say the same about the direction of modern “worship” songs in most churches that focus on the people instead of the Lord. It is entertainment that does not acknowledge God’s greatness. This is in direct contrast with God’s plan for Christianity to be the ambassadors for Christ on the earth for Him. This is also part of Satan’s plan to deter our worship and thanksgiving away from God. All worship is to be directed to God and nowhere else:

Deuteronomy 28:10

¹⁰And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of Jehovah; and they shall be afraid of thee. (ASV, 1901)

 

Instead of the gentile nations seeing the God-fearing and God-blessed Israelites and respecting them, God says in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 22:5

⁵Those that are near [to God], and those that are far from thee, shall mock thee (KJV, brackets added).

When this was written, the nation Israel had lost all respect on the world scene. This is true of any nation that knows the Lord, departs from His laws, and who chooses to not recognize Him in all that they say and do. The United States has sunk to this level, and some nations of the world despise us.

What are the Reasons that We Should Thank Him?

Giving thanksgiving to God is a command. The Bible provides us with a lot of commands to give thanks to God. For example:

Psalm 106:1

          ¹Praise ye the Lord.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:

For his mercy endureth for ever (KJV).

1 Thessalonians 5:18

¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (KJV).

 

Most verses go on to list reasons why we should thank Him, such as “His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:3), “He is good” (Psalm 118:29), and “His mercy is everlasting” (Psalm 100:5). Thanksgiving and praise always go together. We cannot adequately praise and worship God without also being thankful.
Feeling and expressing appreciation is appropriate us. Like any wise father, God wants us to learn to be thankful for all the gifts He has given us:

James 1:17

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ¹⁸ Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures (KJV).

It is in our best interest to be reminded that everything we have is a gift from Him. Without gratitude, we become self-centered and believe that what we have was acquired by ourselves. We think that we have achieved everything on our own, but thankfulness keeps our hearts in right relationship to the Giver of all good gifts.

Giving thanks also reminds us of how much we do have. Human beings are prone to covetousness, and we tend to focus on what we do not have. By continually giving thanks for what we do have, we are reminded of how He has blessed us. When we focus on blessings rather than wants, we are happier. Our perspective changes when we start thanking God for what we usually take for granted, and realize that we could not even exist without the merciful blessings of God:

I Thessalonians 5:18

¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (KJV).

When we purposely thank God regardless of what comes into our lives, we keep also keep bitterness away. We cannot be both thankful and bitter at the same time. It is not that we are grateful for tragedy, but we can be thankful for who God is, even in the midst of tragedy. He sustains us and gives us strength to endure.

II Corinthians 12:9

⁹ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (KJV).

We thank Him for His promise from the book of Romans:

Romans 8:28

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (KJV).

This verse develops the thought where Paul emphasizes that the Spirit’s efforts to bring us to maturity are carried out in full agreement with God’s will. This is also expressed in the book of Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:4

⁴even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love (ASV, 1901).

Everything that happens to us in this life is directed toward that goal. What happens may not be “good,” but God will make it work to our ultimate good, to meet His ultimate goal for our life. God works all things for good, and this is not anything like saying “all things will work out.” Suffering will still bring pain, loss, and sorrow, and sin will bring shame. But under God’s control, the eventual outcome will be for our good. This does not mean all that happens to us is good, for evil is still prevalent in our fallen world. But God is able to turn it around for our long-range good. God is not working to make us happy, but to fulfill His purpose. God works behind the scenes, ensuring that even in the middle of mistakes and tragedies, good will result for “those who love him” (Romans 8:28). At times this will happen quickly, often enough to help us trust in this principle. But there will also be events whose results are for good, but we will not know that until we are in eternity. Paul knew this from his own experience:

Philippians 1:12

 

¹²Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel (NASB).

 

II Corinthians 12:9–10

⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (KJV).

This promise can be claimed only by those who love God and are “called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Those who are called are those the Holy Spirit convinces and enables to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective on life. We trust in God, not life’s treasures, we look to our security in heaven, not on earth, and we learn to accept, not resent, pain and persecution because God is with us.

We can have thankful hearts toward God even when we do not feel thankful for the circumstance. We can grieve and still be thankful. We can hurt and still be thankful. We can be angry at sin and still be thankful toward God. That is what the Bible calls a “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). Giving thanks to God keeps our hearts in right relationship with Him and saves us from a host of harmful emotions and attitudes that will rob us of the peace God wants us to experience (Philippians 4:6–7). God is a loving Father who continually pours blessings into our lives. But sometimes we forget to thank God for who He is and what He does for us. It is essential to express our gratitude to God regularly, as the Bible makes it clear that giving thanks is a powerful practice in our relationship with God. When we develop an attitude of gratitude we can see God’s goodness, celebrate God’s faithfulness, and recognize the countless blessings God gives us. This transforms our perspective, so instead of focusing on what we lack, we can focus on our loving God, who is always working to give us the best.

Generosity Results in Thanksgiving

II Corinthians 9:11

¹¹ Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God (KJV)

 

This verse connects God’s provision and our generosity directly to the thanksgiving of others. God blesses us richly, not just so we can be comfortable, but so we can be generous. Our generosity, in turn, causes those who receive it to give thanks to God.

Finally, praying with gratitude leads to peace:

Philippians 4:6-7

⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (KJV). 

This verse highlights how thankfulness is the cure for worry. When we ask our requests with gratitude, we demonstrate our faith in God. We let God know that because He has been faithful to us in the past, we trust that He will help us with what we need right now. We can pray about everything with a constant mindset of prayer and gratitude, and God will respond by giving us a peace so strong that it even surpasses our ability to understand it.