You drive to Safeway to pick up a pie for Thanksgiving dinner. As you drive home, someone cuts you off and rudely honks at you like it was your fault. When you arrive home, what are you thinking about?
You are grumbling about the obnoxious person who cut you off, right?
Do you think about the fact that you have a car and don’t have to walk to Safeway? Or that you have gas in your car? Or that you didn’t have an accident? Or that you are healthy enough to drive to the store? Or that you have money to buy the pie? Or that there is food on the shelves for you to buy?
Unfortunately, our brains are hardwired to gravitate to the negative. In the natural world, we have two primary goals in life: avoiding bad things and attaining good things. When it comes to survival, avoiding is more critical than attaining. Avoiding an enemy is more important than attaining dinner. If you are working with power tools, avoiding cutting your finger off is more important than attaining the finished project. If you cook, avoiding poisoning your family is more important than attaining a perfectly cooked Thanksgiving dinner.
However, being thankful and positive can lead to a stronger spiritual life, better physical and mental health, improved relationships, increased productivity, more happiness, and even a longer life. The Bible says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8
But being thankful takes work. The following pages will encourage us to be a bit better at accomplishing it.
What does the Bible say about Thanksgiving and giving thanks?
- I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1
- As you, therefore, have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7
- The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7
- For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:4.5
- Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
- And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
- Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
- You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11
- I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalm 7:17
- Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
- The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7
- Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1
- Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Ps. 107:1
Let’s do it! Think about it and write the answers.
- What are three things God has done for you in the past?
- List some special people in your life, those you care about, and/or those you admire.
- Write the names of people in the church, past and present, who have made your life better.
- What foods do you enjoy that you are thankful for?
- What are five things in your life that make you smile?
- What are three good things you are looking forward to doing in the near future?
- You may have health problems, but what are some things in your body that work well? (ability to walk, talk, see, digest food, etc.)
- How is your life better now than it was five years ago? 20 years ago?
- What are some things you have done that were good? (helped someone, crocheted a blanket, etc.)
- What books have you read that enriched your life that you are thankful you found to read?
- What do you enjoy the most in your town and the surrounding area?
- What are some adverse events that turned out for good in your life?
- What do you have every day but don’t think about? (Running water, dishwasher, lamps, soft couches.)
- Even though our country has problems, there are many good things about it. List a few.
What are others saying about it?
- “Gratitude” comes from the same word as freedom (gratis = free). Gratitude is the free expression of a free heart toward one who freely gave. – Ravi Zacharias
- Enjoy the little things. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. – Robert Brault
- The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. – Max Lucado
- We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction. – Harry Ironside
- Grumbling and gratitude are, for the child of God, in conflict. Be grateful, and you won’t grumble. Grumble, and you won’t be grateful. – Billy Graham
- It is not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness. – Charles Spurgeon
- God isn’t asking you to be thankful. He’s asking you to give thanks. There’s a big difference. One response involves emotions, the other your choices, your decisions about a situation, your intent, your step of faith. – Joni Eareckson Tada (a quadriplegic woman)
- Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy that the thorn bush has roses. – German proverb
- Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. – William Arthur Ward
- Gratitude turns what we have into enough. – Melody Beattie
- Faith does not say, ‘I see this is good for me; therefore, God must have sent it.’ Instead, faith declares, ‘God sent it; therefore, it must be good for me.’ from Streams in the Desert
- Today… Let us pause from our many activities to give thanks to Almighty God for our bountiful harvests and abundant freedoms. Let us call upon Him for continued guidance and assistance in all our endeavors. And let us ever be mindful of the faith and spiritual values that have made our Nation great, which alone can keep us great. – Ronald Reagan in his Thanksgiving address
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
