Thanksgiving or Thanks-living?

Thanksgiving or Thanks-living?
John R. Petrilli

What’s YOUR favorite holiday? I’m sure that a quick survey would reveal a variety of answers. If you chose Thanksgiving, you’re in good company because that’s Chuck Swindoll’s favorite too! The famous pastor from Texas gives five reasons why Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday.

“First, Thanksgiving seems to blend together all we Americans hold precious and dear – without the sham and plastic mask of commercialism. Second, Thanksgiving highlights home and family. Third, Thanksgiving drips with nostalgia, taking us back to a simple slice of life when our forefathers and foremothers realized their dependence on each other to survive. Fourth, Thanksgiving turns our heads upward. Just the word “Thanksgiving” prompts the spirit of humility. Fifth, and best of all, life simplifies itself. At Thanksgiving we come back to the soil and the sun and the rain which combine their efforts to produce the miracle of life, resulting in food for our stomachs and shelter for our bodies … direct gifts from God.”

While Thanksgiving is just one day on our cultural calendar, it can and should be practiced everyday. As I flipped through the Scriptures I discovered some ways to incorporate thankfulness into our everyday lives,
and turn thanksgiving into “Thanksliving”.

THANKSLIVING HELPS US MAINTAIN A HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE.

“The ground was covered with grass, and Jesus told His disciples to have everyone sit down. About 5,000 men were in the crowd. Jesus took the bread in His hands and gave THANKS to God. Then He passed the bread to the people, and He did the same with the fish, until everyone had plenty to eat.” John 6:10-11

Now this is one meal where God REALLY blessed the food! Five SMALL loaves of bread and two SMALL fish miraculously expanded into enough food for over 5,000 families (5,000 men plus women and children)! Returning thanks to God at mealtime is one of the most visible expressions of a grateful heart. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to thank our Heavenly Father for each daily portion of food we enjoy. Many times we see Him practicing what He preached, whether around a table of twelve, or at a banquet of 5,000. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4 that we can be thankful for every kind of food (even the ones we don’t particularly like) because such a prayer sanctifies or blesses the food to our bodies. No matter how rushed our daily lives can be, taking a moment to give thanks for our food can bring us back to our total dependence upon God. We didn’t invent rain, seeds, the sun, or soil. We just enjoy the benefits of these God-given blessings.

THANKSLIVING WILL REVOLUTIONIZE OUR PRAYER LIFE.

“Don’t worry about anything but pray about everything. With THANKFUL hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” Phil. 4:6-7

If you’re like many, maintaining a consistent prayer life can be an ongoing challenge. Yet it’s by no means an impossibility. Some give up the habit becomes they say that it becomes stale and routine. One way to jump start our prayer life is to mix-in the secret ingredient of thanksgiving. Paul teaches us here that each request we make should end on a note of thanksgiving. I like to think of this as saying, “Thanks in advance” to God. It could be an indication that we believe that the answer is already on the way, or it could demonstrate that we’re willing to trust God to answer in any way He sees fit. The apostle Paul is constantly seen lacing his prayers with thankfulness for the salvation, growth, partnership and friendship of his many converts. He also prayed for and received many opportunities to share the gospel. How did he do it? With prayers that were filled with gratitude to God. Try it and see if a little bit of gratitude will make a big difference in your attitude! We add a supernatural dynamic to our prayers when we punctuate those requests with a sincere “Thank You, Lord.”

THANKSLIVING EMPOWERS US TO PULL THROUGH HARD TIMES.

“God’s power will make you strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy. I pray that you will be GRATEFUL to God for letting you have a part in what He has promised His people in the kingdom of light.” Col. 1:11-12

When reporters interviewed American GI’s who outlasted years of imprisonment and torture by the North Vietnamese army, many of them cited prayer as the thing that enabled them to get through. Make no mistake about it, life can be hard, and sometimes life gets REALLY hard. What do you do when life backs you up against a wall? What’s your first instinctive response? We can try to handle it on our own, but that’s the stuff that burnouts are made of. God has a far better plan. He says that if we turn over that situation to Him with thanksgiving, He’ll supply all the strength we’ll need to see it through. Paul wrote these words to a group of new Christians who were struggling to survive in a culture that threw mud in their faces. They were mocked, bullied, harassed and even physically abused for their faith. So what made them survive and thrive? A thankful heart. Note that Paul links their gratitude to the incredible privilege that is theirs in being a part of Christ’s kingdom, not only here on earth, but especially in that future heavenly kingdom filled with the ineffable light and glory of God. When hard times hit, thanksgiving will enable us to remain genuinely optimistic and truly hopeful. No matter how dark the night, there’s a new day dawning. Whatever you may be going through this Thanksgiving, if you choose to set your hopes in God, He will deliver you!

THANKSLIVING UNLOCKS THE DOOR TO A VIBRANT WORSHIP EXPERIENCE.

“Enter His gates with THANKSGIVING and His courts with praise. Give THANKS to Him, and praise His name.” Psalm 100:4

Ever wonder what it would be like to be invited to the White House? A good friend of mine knows. They were a guest at a gala event there, personally invited by President Bush himself. They even have the pictures to prove it! So what would you do if you were ushered into the presence of the world’s most powerful person? Guess what? Each time you initiate a time of worship, you are! But His name isn’t Bush or Obama. His name is Jehovah! So how would you make your entrance (once you’ve gotten over the fact that you’re actually there)? The psalmist guides us here with some timely advice. Entrance into God’s courts should be done in a spirit of heartfelt and profuse thanksgiving. Thanks and praise are most appropriate, seeing that our God has gone to such incredible extremes to extend His love and grace to us in the sacrifice of His only Son on our behalf. There’s no need to stammer or stutter. Just simply immerse your heart and soul into a loud crescendo of praise to the One Who has made your salvation possible! As we do, we’ll experience a whole new dynamic in our worship experience. Great worship begins and ends on the high note of thanksgiving.

THANKSLIVING IS NEVER OUT OF SEASON.

“Be cheerful no matter what. Pray all the time. THANK God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.” 1 Thess. 5:18

Can you name a single activity that can be done anywhere or anytime? If you’re struggling to come up with one, let me save you the effort. Thanksgiving is something we can engage in anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstance. It’s one of the most versatile, portable, flexible things in life. At first glance this command might seem like God is asking the impossible. Does this directive mean we’re to thank God for the bad things that enter our lives? Well, yes … and no. I struggled as a new Christian with just what this meant. Then it dawned on me while teaching a Sunday School lesson. While we certainly aren’t appreciative of pain and trial (that would make us abnormal), we can be thankful for the good outcome that the Lord will bring out of it. Here’s where Romans 8:28-29 really come into play. God does work everything out for our good, both circumstantially as well as transformationally. At the time we usually can’t see that positive outcome, but it’s there nonetheless. In time we’ll be able to look back and realize just what God was up to. Pain and trouble are often the tools He uses to make us more like Jesus. That’s where the transforming comes in. James concurs, stating that trials and troubles can be God’s tools to develop our character. Our job is not to figure it all out … that’s a job only an all-wise God can do. He just asks us to trust Him in and through it. That’s where the thanksgiving comes in. We can thank God no matter where we find ourselves because, in the end, He’s busy putting it all together in a way that will bring blessing and growth into our lives.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ! … or better yet, HAPPY THANKSLIVING!