“The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps in constant communion with Him will see many reasons for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long.” -Warren Wiersbe
To many people, Thanksgiving means spending time with family, overeating, and sitting on the couch watching football. However, to a Christian, Thanksgiving should be representative of the very thing we were created for. In fact, the gospel can be viewed through this lens of thankfulness.
Paul illuminates this concept of thankfulness when writing to the Christians in Rome about unbelief. In Romans 1:20-22 he says, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,”
What Paul is asserting here is that it is quite clear that God has revealed Himself to us through His creation and formation of everything (see Genesis for more on this). Paul contends that due to this, we are without excuse in terms of our obligation to know and worship the Creator.
One could easily make a case that failure to honor God and give Him thanks is a root sin. God is the source of all things, and has a desire to be honored as such. When pondering Adam and Eve’s situation in the garden of Eden, it is easy to see that lacking thankfulness to God was at the core of their sin. God gave them everything, and forbade them from one tree. Proper thankfulness should cause one to avoid the fruit that was forbidden by God. The decision they chose stated that the creatures rather than the creator know what is best.
Honoring God should naturally bring about thanksgiving. We should honor His limitless love for us, His provision for us, and the never ending gifts He bestows upon us. Failing to give thanks to God is failing to honor God. As sinners who are saved by grace and mercy, we should possess a thankfulness beyond any normal capacity.
As we enjoy Thanksgiving, we should remember that true thanksgiving calls for both an active mind and a thankful heart.
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