Living Thankful

Now is the time we culturally set aside to reflect gratitude for life and what we have. Thanksgiving Day, in my opinion, is actually one of the more meaningful moments still existing in the shared consciousness of our nation. In this time, we actually take time out from work and normal routines to simply celebrate and enjoy the goodness of life. Of course, like all things, Thanksgiving Day can be trivialized by commercialism, like the endless Black Friday ads that prickle us with the need for more. However, it is still a powerful moment in our country’s experience.

As Christians, Thanksgiving Day takes on even greater significance because of our relationship with the Living God through Christ Jesus. Our life with God reveals there is even more to be thankful for than we might think. Each day spent following Jesus propels us into thanksgiving, as we consider the abundance we have received from God through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is beyond words…but still worth trying to put into words.

Throughout the Scripture, we encounter many sacrifices offered in worship of God. In Psalm 50, however, we encounter a different kind of sacrifice:

I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
For all the animals of the forest are Mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:8-10, NLT)

God is familiar with all the burnt offerings and sacrifices of His people, but He looks for something else. And here is what it is:

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God. (50:14, NLT)

Thankfulness brings life to us. When we make our lives an altar where gratitude rises up to God like a sacrifice, God is delighted. At the same time, offering thanks back to God for who He is and all He has done brings life to us. Living with thankfulness brings life to our souls because when we voice our thanks we are forced to reflect on all His goodness toward us. Thankfulness draw us closer to God.

But it is worth noting that the psalmist describes thankfulness as a sacrifice in Psalm 50. Let’s be honest. There are times when it is difficult for us to be thankful. There are circumstances which may push us to the end of ourselves. It is in those moments that the decision to give thanks is a choice that may feel like a sacrifice. Even in bleak times, there are ways to give thanks without diminishing the challenges we encounter. Even in our lowest moments, there are simple things for which we can give thanks, like air to breathe or sunlight to enjoy, let alone the greater things, like the presence of God who promises He will always be with us.

At that same time, we may soon realize in life that thankfulness is not – or at least should not be – limited by our circumstances. Circumstances change with the shifting seasons of our lives, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill. Yet God, in all His unchanging faithfulness, never ceases to work in us and offer goodness toward us. As the Apostle Paul urged one early group of believers, we too can learn the way to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

As we enter this season set aside for gratitude, let us bring to God our offering of thanksgiving. Even when it feels like a sacrifice, let us bring it to Him. How can we do that? Let me suggest one or two ways. Perhaps right now you might stop for ten or fifteen minutes to thank God for all He has done for you and given to you. Perhaps you may want to write that down in a journal. Perhaps you may want to go for a walk and speak those things quietly or loudly to God. Another thing might be to sit with someone close to you and share at least 5 specific things you are thankful for in this season of your life. Shared gratitude brings shared joy, a sort of double sacrifice of worship to God. May we lift our hearts in the theme of Psalm 107:1-2: “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…”