First, Thanksgiving should cause us to realize God created us for worship and thanksgiving. He created us to honor Him by giving Him thanks. Being Thankful for grace in both who God is and His actions on our behalf; in creation, redemption, and daily sustainment of our lives.

We see this more clearly in Romans chapter 1 where we are brought face to face with what’s gone wrong with the world. The apostle Paul gives us a glimpse of our misapplication of thanksgiving in the created order:

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Part of what Adam and Eve were created to do is honor God by being thankful. Likewise, part of our existence is to honor God by being thankful and enjoining the privilege to express gratitude to Him. We possess a knowledge of God, a knowledge that leads us to thanksgiving. We are reminded by Romans 1; man has embraced unthankfulness.

Second, Thanksgiving involves confessing we have failed miserably in appreciating God as we should. From our sinful nature, we have inherited a spirit of unthankfulness. Satan had an obvious lack of Thanksgiving and he passed it along to us through Adam and Eve. This is so painfully true. We not only fail to be thankful but we also often fail to get the balance right between the physical and the spiritual. Let’s call them “hyper-spirituality” and “hyper-physicality.” Hyper-physicality is well-practiced in 21st-century Western society. We may know it better through its description. It is being so material minded we are unaware of spiritual reality. When there is gratitude for the material things, spiritual gratitude is neglected, if not outright rejected. If we are not careful we find ourselves thankful for the material while caring less about the eternal. Then hyper-spirituality is found in many of the so-called “spiritual” types. Where we are prone to reject God’s physical goodness out of fear that appreciation for it will somehow detract from our thanksgiving of spiritual blessings. Too often we fail to get the proportions right. Only through the Lord Jesus Christ can we find a balance that is described like this: Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Third, Thanksgiving understands Jesus entered into our thankless world, He lived in flawless love of his Father, and died on our behalf for our lack of Thanksgiving. It is Jesus, who has manifested the perfect life of thankfulness. Here are some texts where Jesus models Thanksgiving. Matthew 11:25 [also Luke 10:21]: “At that time’ [note the context of unrepentant and unthankful “cities where most of his mighty works had been done,” verse 20] ‘Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

John 11:41: “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” [Jesus then raises Lazarus from the dead.]

Matthew 15:36 [also Mark 8:6]: “And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” [See also John 6:11 and John 6:23 which refers to the location as “the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks”]

1 Corinthians 11:23–24: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (24) And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Jesus is not only God in the flesh but also the quintessential role model for a thankful human. Jesus not only died to forgive our sin but also lived the perfect life of thankfulness toward God the Father as an example for us.

Fourth, Thanksgiving testifies that the saint is saved by grace and through faith in Jesus alone, likewise, we are redeemed from an unthankful heart, and the eternal penalty of hell. Accompanying our salvation is to enjoy the pleasure of being thankful for God’s favor toward us — not only as his creation but also as his redemption. It is natural for the born again to be in a continuous attitude of gratitude toward his creator and redeemer. The proper life that flows from such amazing grace is the life of continual thankfulness. This is the kind of life in which the born-again Christian is being continually renewed into and becoming more like Jesus. The apostle Paul encourages Christians to have lives characterized by thanksgiving.

Colossians 1:10-12 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (12) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Colossians 2:6-7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (7) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:15-17 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (17) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

God’s word contains many more passages of encouragement, instruction, and inspiration for a proper heart of Thanksgiving. So, enjoy your family, the traditional meal, the ball game, and all the fellowship that comes with the holiday. Don’t neglect the renewing your heart to a godly Thanksgiving; one which worships your creator and hopefully your redeemer.