Every year, Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier, often before the Thanksgiving holiday. My wife, Kim, really dislikes this practice and rightfully so. Of course, for secular businesses, Thanksgiving is of little value, but Christmas can make or break their year, so it’s no wonder that they want an early start toward their biggest revenue generator.
But, for the Christian…we would be wise to consider Thanksgiving as a priority, perhaps even THE priority of the holiday season. See, God’s word is pretty clear on the value that he places on gratitude or giving thanks. In Romans 1, Paul wrote that the wicked people who will receive God’s wrath in the last days will have not given “thanks” to him. In Luke 17, Jesus healed ten lepers and only one came back to thank him, Jesus was clearly displeased that the other nine did not thank him. We even see during the Last Supper that Jesus “gave thanks.” And, in Colossians, Paul tells us to devote ourselves to two things: Prayer and Gratitude.
Look, I love Christmas (I really do), and God’s Word does a great job of accurately recording Jesus’ birth. But, it really doesn’t mandate that we celebrate it, although we should. Yet, there are dozens upon dozens of scriptures demanding that we be thankful; that we have gratitude; that we remember ALL that God has done for us from the gift a Savior, to the work of our amazing salvation.
Don’t ever forget to enter his courts with thanksgiving. How does that work? It applies to how we carry ourselves every day as we live a life of gratitude for everything God has given us. Don’t love your job? Be thankful you have one. Want a different, newer, car? Be thankful you have one. Let’s let our lives be defined by our gratitude!
