Over the years, Thanksgiving has become a traditional holiday in the hearts and minds of many, because it has been a day set-aside for families to gather around the dinner table for the traditional thanksgiving feast.  Usually the thanksgiving dinner consists of the famous turkey, dressing, and a variety of trimmings and for dessert pumpkin or sweet potato pie.  Then after everyone has stuffed them-selves from dinner, they assemble around the television to watch the football games, and for many that concludes their traditional Thanksgiving Day.

In the midst of all of that, we seem to miss the true meaning of thanksgiving. It does not begin or end with a meal or football game.

By Thanksgiving, I am not referring to one day out of the year but many days throughout the year for giving thanks. One day is simply not enough to give thanks, especially for those who truly know God; thanksgiving should be a way of life.  A daily reality and a practice that each believer seeks to develop in his or her own life. Some where we have forgotten the gracious hand of God, which preserves us in times of peace, multiplies us in times of lost, enriches us when we are destitute, and strengthens us when we are weaken.  We as human beings have become too self-centered, too self sufficient, to feel the need to redeem and preserve humanity, too proud to pray to the God that made us, too soft to stand up for righteousness, and too afraid to speak out against injustices. 

We have become an ungrateful people living only for the moment. We are a society that has lost sight of the one true God, and we behave as though God is dead.  For example we hate when we should love, we ignore when we should reach out, we destroy when we should build, and we kill when we should encourage and promote life.

Humanity has no reasons not to give thanks for God has truly blessed us. We have so many reasons to be thankful even in the midst of adversity, but because of the world around us, the attitudes of most, and our own self-centeredness, we are prone to be very unthankful. 

Thanksgiving is one of the keys to an obedient and joyous living because, it takes our eyes off our problems, ourselves, and it allows us to focus on the Lord and His greatness. Without thanksgiving the heart grows cold and callused.  We become insensitive to God and more and more self-centered and independent, going our way and doing our own thing without a care or regard. 

Thanksgiving replaces, resists, and restrains the attitude of sin such as anger, anxiety, bitterness, discontent, envy, fear, and jealousy. Thanksgiving also replaces grumbling, complaining and criticism; not only that, it often results in a positive attitude toward people and the one true God.

Thanksgiving contains a sincere belief and genuine declaration of God’s unity.  Only through thanksgiving can mankind attain the rank of being the exemplar of all God’s creation, which is the highest of the ranks.  Without thanksgiving humanity commits the most terrible crime and falls to the lowest of low.

God has given us all things for our enjoyment, a family to love, a free will to choose, and materials to satisfy our needs and wants. Material things were never designed to replace mankind’s relationship with God nor our dependence on him.  They can never give peace, lasting joy, security, and meaning. Life does not consist of the abundance of the materials things we acquire, but knowing God and having a lasting true relationship with him.

In Ephesians 5:20, it says “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” True thanksgiving becomes an expression of an inner recognition and acknowledgement of the grace of God in every area of one’s life.  True thanksgiving becomes something real that proceeds out of the inner person’s heart through the lips and exhibited through compassion shown to one’s fellowman.  With a Thanksgiving heart, we no longer have a distorted view of life but are able to treat people with dignity and respect, because our hearts have been renewed through the power of God’s love and grace. Let Thanksgiving continually be offered in your life to the one true God.

Now is the time for all of mankind to come together in unity and harmony and stop praising the turkey but praise Him who created the turkey and everything in the universe. Amen.

©By: Dr. Christopher D. Handy

http://www.revchristopherhandy.com