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Thanksgiving And Thanks Living

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Thanksgiving has been observed in some manner, since the Pilgrim fathers landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts in late November, 1620. At that time, the Puritans remembered the protecting and guiding hand of a providential God that led them over the weary waste of divided waters to a new land of great opportunity and freedom.

Those folks who lived through that first year, pledged their lives and fortunes to God and each other. They set aside the American custom of Thanksgiving to which they expressed their gratitude to the God of harvest, who had so bountifully blessed them.

On October 3,1789, President George Washington gave the original proclamation, but the nation grew negligent in the observing of this day until after the Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln appointed the last Thursday in November as a day of prayer and thanksgiving in 1863.

To the Christian, Thanksgiving Day (as in all other days), should be used as a day of prayer and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:15; 1 Timothy 5:5; cf. Luke 2:37), but it is usually observed in a totally different way than it was intended. Many folks observe it as a day of recreation, while others observe it for worldly activities (1 John 2:15-16). Some just observe it as a day of self-indulgence.

Brethren and friends, there is a great need in America today for remembering anew exactly what Thanksgiving stands for — thanksgiving for all of the spiritual and physical blessings we have in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 1:3; Acts 14:15-17; Acts 17:25; Acts 17:28).

Knowing this, we should thank God for the following:

  • Our Savior who came to provide us remission of our sins so that we might stand justified and not condemned before God (Romans 5:9; Romans 8:1).
  • The saving gospel of Christ, the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).
  • The Lord’s church — that spiritual body which He purchased with His own blood (Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 20:28).
  • God’s plan of salvation, which includes (1) believing in Christ (John 8:24); (2) repenting of our sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30); (3) confessing Christ as God’s Son before men (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9-10; cf. Acts 8:37) and (4) being baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:1-6; Gal. 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21).

If we are truly filled with thanksgiving in our hearts as the Bible teaches (Psalm 107:1; Psalm 50:14; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:15), we will obey the Word of God and daily live as it instructs us to live – a life of thanks living (Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:9; James 1:21-27; 1 Peter 1:13-22).

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