The Pilgrims and George Washington were on to a good thing. But why limit it to one day?
As we return to our homes after the Feast of Tabernacles, we oftentimes experience a letdown. We realize that we once again must return to our activities in Satan's world. This can be challenging after enjoying positive fellowship and interaction with God's people at the Feast. In the northern hemisphere, the winter months of December through February bring wet, cold and gray dreary days. Sometimes we face great trials and discouragement.
During the month of November as the days begin to turn colder, there is a wonderful day that is kept in the United States—Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving is often called "Turkey Day" and associated with a family meal or watching football games, but it is much more than this.
The first Thanksgiving in New England took place in 1621 in the Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts. After arriving in November 1620, their first winter had been filled with hardship—little food except the game they hunted, only crude bark shelters to live in and much sickness. About half of the colonists died during the first winter. So after a good harvest the next year, the Pilgrims wanted to display their deep thankfulness to God for the help, guidance and progress the colony had been given. Being thankful and showing thankfulness illustrate a godly attitude that too often we neglect or forget.
What does it mean to be thankful? Why should we be thankful? What can we be thankful for? How should we show our thankfulness?
All of these questions are important for us to answer since the answers reflect a humble attitude we need to maintain as God's people.
What Does It Mean to Be Thankful?
Being thankful means that we have been impressed with a sense of kindness expressed towards us and want to acknowledge it. It means we are grateful. Thankfulness is the actual expression of our gratitude and acknowledgement of the kindness given us.
In 1789, the first president of the United States wrote a Thanksgiving Proclamation. In this proclamation, George Washington stated: "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits...that we may all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection...for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have enjoyed...and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us...that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions."
These wonderful words reflect a tremendous attitude of humbleness and gratitude that we would all do well to have in our lives.
Why Should We Be Thankful?
Read Psalm 8:3-6. David wonders why God is mindful of man. Remember that we are nothing more than dust (Genesis 2:7; 3:19), yet God has created us to have "dominion over the works of [His] hands." We have a tremendous destiny of developing righteous character and potentially having eternal life in His Kingdom. This thought alone should help us be thankful each day.
What Should We Be Thankful For?
Once we recognize what our potential is, we should be thankful for being able to understand God's truth. Matthew 13:16-17 says, "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it"
God opened our minds and guided us to repentance. So we should also be thankful that He has also removed "our transgressions from us" as far as "the east is from the west" as Psalm 103:11-12 states. To help us continue in His ways, God gives us "the Comforter" which is the Holy Spirit to help teach us.
There are also many promises that God gives to us for following His way. They include many physical and spiritual blessings. You can take the time in personal study to review some of your favorite promises, but for brevity consider James 1:17, which says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights."
So How Should We Show Our Thankfulness?
"In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God," Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6. Our prayers should reflect our gratitude towards God for what He has done in our lives and what He gives to us.
This should be a daily attitude as Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Our everyday words and thoughts should reflect a positive mindset of hope and joy in thankfulness towards God our Father for His great plan of salvation.
A Thanksgiving Day is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada, but as the called children of God, we should show our thanksgiving daily towards our Father by our obedience, trust and faith in Him. UN
