Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100:4-5, emphasis added).
From the moment the Pilgrims shared a three-day feast with their Wampanoag neighbors in 1621, Thanksgiving has had distinctly Christian roots in giving thanks to God.
Giving thanks is the foundation of warm-hearted religion and spiritual formation.
Here are four ways that giving thanks adds virtue to your faith (cf. 1 Peter 1:5-7).
First, giving thanks begins with awareness of a gift. Too often, we take good things in life for granted. We become spoiled, come to believe we’re owed a pleasant and comfortable life, and get irritated or jealous when things don’t go our way. We’re oblivious to the giftedness of—everything! But adopting a posture of thanksgiving means becoming self-consciously aware of the gift we’ve been given, recognizing it as a gift, not a wage. That is true of many good things in life—health, intelligence, family, friends, a good job, food on the table, and good weather, to name a few. But it is especially true of salvation, which the Word tells us is a gift, given by grace, through faith in Jesus, apart from our works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Second, giving thanks acknowledges our dependence. When we receive a gift, we recognize that we’re dependent upon the giver. Without the giver, we wouldn’t have the good things we’ve received. Think of what would happen to children if they had to earn their parents’ care. The greatest gift of all is that of the Father sending the Son to die for our sins, and to rise from the dead, so that we could have life in Him, Who is the resurrection and the life.
Third, giving thanks trains our hearts to see God at work in our lives. One of the first things we teach our children to do is to say “thank you” whenever someone has done them a good turn. We have to teach them to say that because thankfulness doesn’t come naturally. Self-centered children must learn it. And we’re all self-centered! That’s true when it comes to appreciating how the people around us love us, and it’s also true when it comes to seeing and appreciating God’s good work in our lives, especially the outworking of His salvation through the Spirit in our day-to-day, moment-by-moment living. We tend to think that God is far-off and distant. But that’s not true, especially for believers. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit “lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). And as James says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). God is in you, and all the good things you have come from Him. Those are truths that thanksgiving trains the “eyes of your heart” to see.
Fourth, giving thanks glorifies the Giver. It doesn’t celebrate the gift alone, but, more importantly, the Giver Himself. That is true of all givers, especially of God. Recognizing His gift magnifies His character, such as His generosity, graciousness, and goodness, which then deepens one’s relationship to Him. That kind of gratitude then creates bonds of love between the Giver and the recipient, as appreciation for the gift binds our hearts to Him.
This Thanksgiving, may our eyes be especially drawn to the One in whom every gift is revealed and embodied—Jesus Christ, the source and end of every good gift.
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Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.
Read his latest book, Once Saved, Always Saved? A Free Grace Defense.
1978 I moved to Napa Valley CA - I was 38 and had been single 10 years, I was sure God had called me to ministry in music & evangelism in prisons , & would never marry again. Our awesome God had different plans for me…and brought Debbie Adkins into my life. I was 39 & she was 22 We have been together 46 years have 4 sons & 1 daughter - 20 grandchildren…. How thankful I am for Christ & His wonderful work in my life … I hope to share this with my family this Thanksgiving day.