Thanksgiving: Expressing Thanks

​Just two days until Thanksgiving! Are you ready for some pumpkin pie?!

This post makes the third and final one in the Thanksgiving series. The first post described why thanksgiving is God's will for His people. In last week's post we looked to Jesus as our example of how we can be thankful always.

Being thankful is God's will (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), and we can overflow with thankfulness by living in Jesus (Colossians 2:6-7). So, what does this look like in our lives? Is thankfulness just something we feel or say? Is it just praying a quick “thank You” before a meal, or saying “thank you” when someone does something nice for us?

A truly thankful heart overflows in a lifestyle of praise to God and trust in Him. Thanksgiving is about, well, thanks-giving. Our thankfulness should be expressed.

Jesus is our ultimate example, and He lived a life of thankfulness to God. He expressed gratitude and trusted God to provide and keep His promises at all times.

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He [Jesus] gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over, The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” Matthew 14:18-21

“Then He [Jesus] took the seven loaves and the fish, and when He had giving thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children.” Matthew 15:36-38

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is My body.'
“Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'” Matthew 26:26-28

“So they took away the stone [from the tomb where Lazarus had been for four days]. Then Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I knew that You always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.'
“When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.”   John 11:41-44

In each of these situations, Jesus gave thanks to God even before the miracle took place. Jesus was able to do this because of His trust in God to provide.

We thank can God for His promises, but are we living in trust of His provision? We say thank you before a meal, but are we really relying on God to provide? We thank God that He always hears us, but is He the first one we turn to? We thank God that He has a plan for us, but are we trusting that He really does know what's best? We thank God for His love for us, but are we living in that love and letting it drive out fear and insecurities? We thank God that He is always with us, but are we living with courage?

We must let thanksgiving grow trust in our lives. In expressing gratitude, we are recalling the wonders God has done, and as we express thanks to God for what He has done, our trust in Him will grow.

In a previous post, we learned that thanksgiving goes hand-in-hand with praise and prayer. Both are ways in which we can express thanks to Christ. In God's Word, thanksgiving also goes hand-in-hand with telling of what God has done.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, He love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story – those He redeemed from the hand of the foe...
“Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities... and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them form the grave, Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.” Psalm 107:1-2, 17-22

Putting into words those blessings God has given makes the reality of them more evident, and reminds us of the love and power of the Giver. As we give thanks and are constantly reminded of Jesus' presence and working in our lives, we trust Him more.

In Old Testament times, people would give “thank offerings” to express gratitude. These were not required offerings. The people would just give them as a way of showing their thankfulness. I just learned of “thank offerings” this past Sunday, and I find it inspiring and challenging that the people received something, and as a way of saying thank you, they then gave something. 

This really displays trust. They trusted God to provide and He did, and instead of holding onto the provisions with tight fists, they gave back to God.
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What if, as our way of expressing thanks, we gave? Not just putting 10% off our earnings in the offering plate as it passes, but sharing all the blessings God has given, letting our thanksgiving be thanks-and-giving? This could be in monetary form, or it could be in other ways; offering help, giving gifts, serving others.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, and even after the last of the turkey has disappeared from the fridge, let us express our thanks to God in praise, in prayer, in giving and in trusting God, no matter the circumstances.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Don't stuff yourselves too much!

The post Thanksgiving: Expressing Thanks first appeared on The Overflowing
All Scriptures from the NIV