Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV)
Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When most of us in the United States think of the Thanksgiving holiday, we think of special family gatherings and certain foods that we like to eat. Many people traditionally enjoy turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, yams, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and other favorites reserved for this time of year.
What’s interesting is that all these wonderful foods could be prepared more often than just around holiday times. Have you ever noticed that we tend to relegate certain things, such as a typical Thanksgiving dinner, to certain times and seasons?
There’s nothing wrong with saving turkey and all the trimmings for Thanksgiving Day, but we must be careful not to assign times and seasons to the “attitude” of thanksgiving. In other words, every day should be Thanksgiving Day!
The word “thanksgiving” is made up of two words: “thanks” and “giving”. Continually giving thanks means to adopt and maintain an attitude of gratitude. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude means every day should be Thanksgiving Day – giving thanks every day. Notice the first three words in our Success Scripture this week: “Giving thanks always…”
In order to maintain an attitude of gratitude, we need a reason “why” we should maintain an attitude of gratitude; a reason “why” we should adopt an attitude of “giving thanks always.” One of the reasons “why” begins with knowing why the Pilgrims came to America, and what the purpose was behind the first Thanksgiving Day in the year 1621.
Many historians will tell you that the Pilgrims came to America to escape religious persecution, but they had already escaped religious persecution when they fled from England to Holland. In 1620, the Pilgrims landed on the shores of America because they wanted to establish a nation upon the principles and precepts of the Word of God and their faith in Jesus Christ. This was their stated vision: “We want our nation to be a stepping stone to take the Gospel to the nations of the world.” Incidentally, the United States gives more to foreign missions than any other country in the world.
The original intent of the first unofficial Thanksgiving Day in 1621, which was celebrated by the Pilgrims of Plymouth, MA and the Wampanoag Indians, was to give thanks to God for all He had done for them. Giving thanks to God for all He has done for you will help you maintain an attitude of gratitude; an attitude of “giving thanks always.”
Have an Ephesians 3:20 Thanksgiving!