1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

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A CALL TO THE REAL HEART OF THANKSGIVING - MAY IT LIVE BEYOND ONE DAY A YEAR!

Most of us grew up hearing of how Americans started this national tradition through the inspiration of a harvest feast in 1621 shared between the Wampanoag people and the English colonists known as Pilgrims. But before that, ‘thanksgiving’ was practiced by the colonists in New England and Canada, with days of prayer for blessings and safety of their journeys, military victories, and for an abundant harvest. The Canadians trace their earliest Thanksgiving celebration to 1578, when an expedition led by Martin Frobisher gave thanks for their safe passage, and they continue to celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October. Here in America, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November – this year it is November 27th!

I hear you thinking, “Thanks so much for that historical information, we know this already.” We know the tradition, but do we really know where ‘Thanksgiving’ was truly started and established?

I ask this because it seems we have lost the essence of this holiday and those that follow. Most of our Thanksgiving celebrations center on food, big ‘sales’ that lie in wait to be partaken of for the next big holiday on the calendar - Christmas. And then of course, there’s the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations filled with more of the same, along with promises to change certain aspects of our lifestyles through New Year's resolutions.

We live in a world of consumption. In our world today, which is full of chaos and distractions, it is easier to fill ourselves with the self-indulgence of food and stuff, empty conversations that drift away after our tummies are heavy and before the stark reality of how much all the Black Friday ‘sales’ indulged in may have impacted our bank account.

In researching how most people celebrate their Thanksgiving Day, it appears activities, in order, seem to be: 1) watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; 2) breaking the wishbone for good luck; 3) eating the traditional Thanksgiving meal; 4) taking a nap; 5) sharing why you are thankful; 6) watching an American football game; 7) partaking in a newer tradition of ‘Friendsgiving’; 8) run a turkey trot; 9) shopping ‘til you drop on Black Friday; 10) giving back and helping others. Some of you may do these in a different order, mixed with other activities such as games or movie binging. But it seems to be a good snapshot of this popular holiday’s events.

We all have various traditions, but speaking specifically to believers, do we understand that the message of ‘thanksgiving’ is deeply rooted in Scripture beyond our traditions? And even the traditional inspired account given of the Pilgrims above was not behind the intent of Thanksgiving Day.

Nonetheless, many churches today embrace the modern traditions of men, all the while unaware they are being sifted because they have forsaken the true intentions behind them. This is a call to all of us. A call to get back to the heart of God and go beyond our traditions. For the last two millennia, the church has become more and more divided by worldly influences, traditions, denominationalism, self-works, and pride of their own speech and missions rather than keeping to the heart of God – that of being a humble servant of His to make Him known through His transforming us from the inside out. There is a growing influence of misguided pride through idolatry and many new age to pagan practices that have subtly made their way into our churches, which will be addressed in my future blogs. This shouldn’t be surprising if we have read the last message to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, given by Jesus Himself. [Read Revelation 2-3]

But in this message, my heart has been sifted with a renewed desire to seek Him and His heart, which brings us back to the heart of Thanksgiving - back to its roots and setting aside the traditions.

Do you see the hidden images in the cave background?

Having a heart of Thanksgiving is well established through scripture, from feasts and celebrations centered on the theme of prayer and Thanksgiving due to God’s ultimate purpose and one fulfillment of His heart – to redeem and restore His creation to Himself. All of it is summed up in one word: LOVE. This is the heart of God we are to celebrate. His provisions and deliverance, from the Feast of Firstfruits to the Passover feast, all point to Jesus Christ, the last and only true eternal sacrificial offering necessary to redeem us for eternity. This Love is boundless and runs both vertically between God and us and horizontally between us and our neighbors, our fellow mankind!

Below is a sampling of what our true hearts’ posture, as Christ followers, are to be. It is a humble servant's heart before a holy, righteous Creator God. A heart overflowing with prayers and thanksgiving continually every single day – without ceasing. There is no shortage of verses that remind us of this heart’s posture. May we all prayerfully reflect on the following medley of true Thanksgiving today and beyond. Truly, truly, we have nothing to offer our majestic King of kings other than being completely undone and broken by His grace and all sufficiency and come to that place where we fall on Him to restore us through His gracious redemptive work. This is the true heart posture of believers, one of thanksgiving compelled by LOVE because of His grace and mercy. May it never cease! Maranatha Lord Jesus, Come!

Psalm 100:4-5 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with prayers; give thanks to Him and bless His name. (5) For Yahweh [the LORD] is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.”

Psalm 105:1-5 “Give thanks to Yahweh, call upon His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples [nations] (2) Sing to Him, sing praises to Him. Speak of all His wonders. (3) Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice! (4) Seek out the LORD [Yahweh] and His strength; seek His face always. (5) Remember the wonders He has done, His marvelous works, and the judgments He has uttered.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always! (17) Pray without ceasing. (18) Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your request made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Ephesians 5:20 “Give thanks always in all things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we should always thank God concerning you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, that God has chosen you from the beginning unto salvation in the sanctification of the Spirit, and by faith of the Truth!”

James 17-18 “Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of shifting. (18) Having willed it, He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, for us to be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.

Giving Thanks [Bible Hub Topical Study]

Click here to listen to the song of the hour: Do This in Remembrance of Me ~ Passover (Communion) Song – Reference of Luke 22:15-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 /

Resources & Related Content: As it turns out, the First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving in 1777 had nothing to do with the 1621 event, but was intended as a solemn day of worship and praise of God, the Puritan Day of Humiliation of people before God Almighty. It was a day of fasting, praying for forgiveness, and abstaining from labor and recreation. Hmm…how things have changed. Read more here: Thanksgiving Day: A Brief History [World History Encyclopedia, 25 Nov 2020] / Thanksgiving 2025 [History.com Editors] / Top 10 Thanksgiving traditions in the US [EF Academy Blog] /

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