Thanksgiving : What is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving : What is Thanksgiving?
Text: Philippians 4: 4-6, Psalms 103: 1-5, 1Thess 5: 16-18, Isaiah 12:4-5.
Memory Verse: “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever” 1Chronicles 16:34.
Well, thanksgiving is basically all about being grateful to God or someone for what they have done. There is more to thanksgiving than just being grateful; so let us quickly look at it. The dictionary defines thanksgiving in many terms:
According to Merriam Webster, thanksgiving is a public acknowledgement or celebration of divine goodness. It is an act of giving thanks and it is also a form of prayer expressing gratitude, another dictionary defines thanksgiving as an expression of thanks especially to God. A day set apart for giving thanks to God.
Now let us look at what the bible says about thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is an age long tradition because our forefathers of faith all gave thanks at one point in time in their lives. The bible has a lot to say about how to give thanks when all is well and when all is not well. Let us look at some examples of those who gave thanks in the bible:
- Prophet Daniel gave thanks to God. Daniel 2:23, Daniel 6:10
- King David gave thanks to God. Psalms 9:1, 107: 8-9, 118:1
- Prophet Moses and his sister Mariam gave thanks to God. Exodus 15: 1-4, 15:11, 15:20-21
- Apostle Paul gave thanks to God. Ephesians 5:19-20, Philippians 4;6
- Lord Jesus gave thanks to God. John 11:41-42, John 6;11
Conclusion: Now that we have a clearer understanding of thanksgiving, let us make it a daily habit to thank God for everything. Whether it is convenient or not, always give thanks.
