Thank You or... No Thanks

Well, it is that time of the year again. Time to give thanks, right. Yes and no. Unfortunately, our nation today has made our Thanksgiving holiday into something it was not intended to be. So often the focus of Thanksgiving is on the four "F's" - Food, Family, Football, and Fun. Now, I don't mean to say that any of these are wrong in and of themselves, but so many times we are so focused on all of these that we forget to give thanks. Thanksgiving began as a way to give thanks to the Lord (yes, that's right, to God, imagine that) because the early pilgrims to America had a new freedom. They realized it was a blessing from the Lord that they made it safely to America and that they could now worship and live as they thought the Lord would have them to. And guess what...there was no football. As we celebrate Thanksgiving later this week, let us not forget how Thanksgiving began and what the focus was. Let's not be so selfish to forget the One who deserves all of our thanksgiving.

On the flip side of the coin, however, is another aspect of Thanksgiving. For some, this is the only time that they give thanks. They say thanks for this and thanks for that but they do not realize that everyday (not just Thanksgiving) is a day to be thankful to the Lord. You see, for the believer, our attitude before the Lord should be "Thank You". We should have this attitude because who we are as believers and what is available to us as believers (and that is all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places [Eph. 1:3]) is not from us but from what Christ has provided for us. Yet so often as believers, we forget to say "Thank You" to the Lord. We think in someway we have what we have in Christ because of something we have done. Yet Christ has done it all.

We should also have this attitude of "Thank You" throughout our lives because we know that whatever comes our way (good or bad), God can use that to grow us as believers. An attitude of "Thank You" can literally change your life because your viewpoint will be changed to see all things through your relationship with the Lord rather than ignore your relationship with Him as you deal with everyday life. I don't think it is by chance that the apostle Paul and other writers of Scripture stress the importance of giving thanks, being thankful, and having an attitude of thanksgiving. "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

So this Thanksgiving don't forget to be thankful, and don't forget to be thankful everyday of your life. As a believer, you always have a reason to be thankful, and you never have a reason not to have an attitude of "Thank You" as you live each day.