Introduction
We celebrate Thanksgiving once per year. It’s a day, or perhaps a weekend, of spending time with family, good food, and perhaps football. We set this time aside to stop and think about, and perhaps share, what we have been thankful for this year. However, as Christians, our thanksgiving shouldn’t be confined to one time per year.
Give Thanks Always
The Apostle Paul tells us to give thanks in all circumstances (2 Th. 5:18). Thanksgiving is to be more than a day, It’s a reminder to give thanks to God every day throughout the year. We are called to have gratitude for what God has done for us.
One part of the problem that we ran into in the Garden of Eden was a lack of gratitude. Gen. 1:29 tells us that God abundantly blessed us with “every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed.” Instead of responding with thanksgiving the woman was deceived into believing that God was holding out on us (Gen. 3:2-7). Our sin often begins by neglecting to be grateful for what the Lord has done for us.
Related Posts
A Joyful Heart
We are called to be joyful always. Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It’s through submission to and growth through the Holy Spirit that we grow in joy. Our joy is one of the foundations that our thankfulness is built on. Reflecting on our thankfulness for the hope that we have in Jesus leads to our constant joy.
It’s always good to pray to God to grow in us those things that glorify Him, like joy and thanksgiving. However, these aren’t just things that God hands out to us like candy at a parade. We grow in these characteristics as we submit more and more to Christ and the leading of His Holy Spirit. God is the source of all that is good and the closer we grow to Him, the more we reflect His good attributes here in this world.
Joy Vs. Happiness
How do we have joy in suffering? To understand this, we must understand the difference between “Joy” and “Happiness”. Biblical Joy and happiness are not the same thing. Happiness is an emotion based in your environment, your preferences, and the release of chemicals in your brain. It can come and go just like other emotions, like anger and sadness. Yet happiness is something that we tend to focus on in our lives. It’s what we are usually referring to when we tell people how we are.
Joy
Joy, on the other hand, isn’t a fleeting emotion. It’s a permanent state that is based on HOPE. This hope is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Joy is knowing that we are destined to be eternally in the presence of our Lord. No matter what life throws at you, you know it can’t separate you from the Love that Jesus has for you.
Our suffering and difficulties in this life are only temporary. Of course, we aren’t happy with cancer, heart failure, financial problems, or losing a job. But we can still have joy in the midst of these because we have the eternal hope in Him who has conquered all of these and will one day wipe away all of our pain and all of our tears.
Thanksgiving
I challenge you this Thanksgiving week to spend time each day in the presence of God reflecting on the joy of your hope in living eternally in the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord. With this in mind, spend time giving thanks for friends, family, life, and all that God has done for you.
With this in mind, replace the pressures of hosting the perfect Thanksgiving meal with joy and thankfulness. Be thankful for the gift of a loving, giving heart that wants to provide a meal for the group. Give thanks for that uncle or cousin who we rarely have the opportunity to see. Find the humor in the dish that comes out all wrong. Let this be a day of joy and laughter, not frustration and anger. Listen, love, and laugh.
Blessings