Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, but between the large, delicious meals and the distractions, it’s easy to forget how much we have to be thankful for. Sadly, many have forgotten or maybe they have never known the history of human suffering, along with the gratitude the Pilgrims expressed. It’s recorded that the new colony was focused on giving God thanks for His blessings and protection as William Bradford is quoted, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, to again set their feet on the firm and stable earth. Thus, out of small beginnings, greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of God have all the praise.”
Clearly, the pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony praised God and appreciated Him for all they had, while today our younger generation knows that Thanksgiving is associated with an endless avalanche of media hypes, sales advertisements, marketing gimmicks, black Friday, and taking time off from work, but the true meaning remains: Giving thanks for who God is and His divine goodness. Like all Christians, we give thanks to the Lord for loving us and rescuing us from a hopeless condition of being lost in sin and death, and preparing a place for us in Heaven. We could never express to our Heavenly Father how grateful we are that He sent Jesus to forgive and redeem us with His blood. However, this is not an automatic miracle for every person on the planet. It has everything to do with the individual being convicted by their guilt and disobedience, and then responding to Him out of love and sincere brokenness. So, we see that Thanksgiving is about expressing our love to God, and those who desire to know Him personally, discovers our relationship with Him is not based on gifts, but just for who He is.
Yes, His grace is enough to save all who have ever lived or will live, but I want us to see a critical element within His gift of eternal salvation. Let’s turn to Psalm 100 and verse 4, as we notice a simple yet profound revelation of truth. “I will enter His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” We usually associate this passage with being grateful, and rightly so, but looking closer we notice the gate is available to anyone, but it takes a desire to open the gate and enter. An intentional act of deliberately pursuing God, and then pressing forward into the courts of doing His will. It’s easy to say we are thankful for all the wonderful things we have, even the unsaved agree to this, but it’s the child of God who worships Him in the hard times and the good times.
I published a book a few years ago called “A Lifestyle of Worship,” and it’s about being determined to develop a constant awareness of God’s presence instead of just when we attend church or need a favor. Brother Lawrence, whose seventeenth-century work, “The Practice of the Presence of God,” details his discipline to go beyond religion and become so sensitive to everything going on around him that he might consider all situations as an opportunity to manifest the attributes of Christ. How can we be thankful in all things as I Thessalonians 5:15-18 demands? I heard a story last week about a missionary who was visiting a small village in a remote part of Africa. He noticed a woman sitting alone away from the open air meeting, and he went over to speak to her. She lowered her mask, and he saw where years of not being treated for leprosy had taken away her nose, ears, and lips. As she raised a hand that was without fingers, she quietly asked if he could lead the people in singing the old hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” My prayer is that I will never become spoiled by His blessings, but that every moment I will be sincerely grateful for the privilege of knowing and serving Him.
Dr. Holland is a Christian author, outreach minister, and community chaplain. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.
