What Produces Thanks?

Did you realize that when you grow in the knowledge of God, it should produce thanksgiving in your heart?

In the morning when I pray for my family, I go through Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:9-12.

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

It has become evident to me that, as we increase in the knowledge of our precious Lord and seek to do His will, gratitude bubbles up within our hearts and thoughts.

“So it may be said that the chief purpose of life, for any one of us, is to increase according to our capacity our knowledge of God by all means we have, and to be moved by it to praise and thanks.”

J. R. R. Tolkien

Fiji’s Thanksgiving Services

From the islands of Fiji, where her family has served the Lord for decades, Amanda Ball shared an observation about a lovely habit that believers there have.

“In Fiji, I thought it was so amazing that they would often have thanksgiving prayer services at their homes. It was a time when they wanted to publicly thank God for something and would invite all their friends over for a nice meal and would have a time of sharing and singing from their church members.”

What a wonderful thing to do!

I wonder if we have ever had a thanksgiving party or celebration (other than in late November) just to thank God for something He has done. Perhaps we have learned about an answer to prayer that we wrestled with for years? Perhaps a graduation? Perhaps a promotion? Not just going out to dinner – that is too similar to eating out at other times. Own the celebration. Think about the father in Luke 15:11-32. His prodigal son had returned, so he wanted to put on a feast of thanks.

Your celebration could have nothing to do with an achievement. It could be held in response to God’s incredible power and works in a way that just made you want to worship. Perhaps it is the design of a bird’s body and wings that enables it to fly. Perhaps it is God’s invention of water, or the weight of the water God keeps suspended in the air before it comes down as rain. Perhaps it is the Gulf Stream crossing the Atlantic that keeps Europe from becoming a frozen barren wasteland. Perhaps it is the way your dog seems pre-programmed to adore you.

Turn any meal with friends or family into a thanksgiving time. Do your research and then mention one of God’s amazing works before you pray or while you pray for the food. Can we really spend enough time celebrating God in thanksgiving?

Our Deepest Thanksgiving Feast

There’s a thanksgiving celebration that we are commanded to practice on a regular basis. I believe most of us believers participate in this. The Lord’s Supper is a thanksgiving feast. If we spent five minutes on the edge of hell, or saw a vision of people we know standing at the final judgment, the emotional intensity of our thankfulness would be very strong. If we make little of sin, and make little of the coming judgment, then being “saved” is just a mental note, and our thanksgiving will be tepid at best.

But Jesus stood in our place, bore the wrath we deserve, and then rose victorious kicking out the teeth of death for those who believe. We cannot say “Thank you, Jesus” enough. We are commanded in 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 to remember what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross and to give thanks. We are to do this often until Jesus returns, never letting the repetition diminish the depth of our thanks. What a perfectly fitting thing to do.

American Thanksgiving

In the United States there is, of course, a public holiday in November when businesses close, households decorate, and family comes together for the purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving. Echoing God’s kindness to the settlers at Plymouth colony in 1621 by giving them native American friends and a good harvest, Americans are meant to thank God for His gifts of family, friends, and food in the past year.

It’s a lovely day to set aside specific time and effort dedicated to thanking God for what He has done and for who He is. Christians in other countries often say Thanksgiving should become an international Christian holiday.

But I would encourage you to create another focused time in addition to the regular Thanksgiving to celebrate God’s kindness and mercy with your friends. Could we learn from the Fijians? Maybe we could plan something with friends for the sole purpose of giving thanks? We could use our imaginations and create a special dinner or get-together just to thank God.

Your Own Little Thanksgiving

We are all unique individuals as God has created us. It’s beautiful to see how varied we all are. Can’t wait for heaven. The way we celebrate giving thanks will be unique, too.

My normal pattern is to journal. I like to process things by writing in my journal, things that are hard and difficult, and then wrap those things with thanksgiving and leave them with the Lord. When I am especially thankful, I also want to record my thanksgiving to the Lord in my journal. I want to write out my gratitude to Him. It is like a sacrifice of praise. So often the psalmist talks about giving the Lord the thanks He deserves (Psalm 50:14; 23; 107:22; 116:17).

My goal in this blogpost is to inspire you to think of ways you could plan a little thanksgiving celebration.

It may be any time of year. Celebrate what God is and has done.

“Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Hebrews 13:15-16