Celebrating Thankfulness
It is the week of Thanksgiving—a week of gathering, feasting, celebrating, and giving thanks together. This year I’ve been struck by a hidden aspect of giving thanks. It’s a requirement, actually. In reading verse after verse of biblical thanks, I realized they all had one thing in common. Each statement of thanks was a recognition that they could not do or accomplish something on their own. Giving thanks is an act of humility. It cannot be performed if one is proud. Not truly, at least. Let’s take a look at an example of the proud “giving thanks.” It’s found in Luke 18:9-14 (NIV):
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Have you ever heard someone demand, “Say you’re sorry!” Only to have the offender respond with something along the lines of, “I’m sorry you’re so sensitive.” That’s not an apology even though it includes the words “I’m sorry.” It’s a dig at the offended party, deflecting any wrongdoing. The same could be said about this Pharisee’s thanks. Even though it includes the words “God, I thank you”, he’s really not giving thanks. Instead, he’s bragging about how great he is and all the things he’s done. He’s not thankful. He’s proud. Thanks requires humility.
This Pharisee has a prideful posture, as he stands off by himself. He compares himself to all those he considered inferior, while the tax collector simply focuses on himself. The Pharisee spouts about all the things he has done, but the tax collector focuses on what only God can do.
| Pharisee | Tax Collector | |
| Posture | Stood by himself | Stood at a distance, eyes down |
| Scope | Compared himself to others (inferiors) | Only considered himself |
| Focus | His own actions | God’s action |
| Purpose | Exalt himself | Humble himself |
| Result | Not justified He will be humbled. |
Justified He will be exalted. |
True thanks can only be given in a spirit of humility.
When we humble ourselves and give thanks, we are celebrating the one that made something possible. Thanks is definitely a celebration! When we give thanks, everything seems to get lighter. A burden is lifted and so our hearts are lighter, we lift our voices, and we lift our hands. Even our grasp on things lightens, because true thanks results in generosity. When someone freely receives in humility, their heart responds with a desire to freely give.
This celebration and generosity can also be seen in the Old Testament thank offering (Leviticus 7:11-15). The thank offering was a kind of fellowship or peace offering presented to the Lord. It included an animal sacrifice as well as several different kinds of breads, both with and without yeast. But don’t let your eyes glaze over with the ancient details, because there’s a beautiful picture here. Part of this sacrifice was burnt before the Lord, part was given to the priest, and part was taken by the worshiper for a celebration feast. All the meat of a thank offering had to be eaten on that same day. None of it was to be left till morning. The worshiper would call friends, family, and all the faithful to come celebrate and recognize the faithfulness of the Lord. It was a time of relationship and sharing experiences of God.
May your Thanksgiving be a time of fellowship and a celebration of all God has done in your life. Let us humbly recognize Him as our help; making our impossibilities, possible.
Would you take a moment to share a thought of thanksgiving in the comments? How has God provided in some manner when you had limited power or control?
Come, let us give thanksgiving together.
Scriptures to foster a spirit of thanksgiving:
Psalm 100
1 Chronicles 29:10-22
Psalm 40
Psalm 70
Romans 12:1-16 – All fellowship/peace offerings included a communal meal. How does this shape your insight on verse 1?
The Lord has blessed us in so many ways! I also find that if I focus on gratitude, it can totally change my attitude! Being thankful forces us to take our minds off our circumstances and focus on how good the Lord has been to us. Thank you for this reminder, Heather. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Yes! I always wondered why that worked—-how focusing on gratitude can change the attitude. When we choose to be grateful, we humble ourselves. So being grateful IS a change in attitude! The result is just like changing glasses, our view changes from deserved/entitled to gifts/blessings. I pray you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Glenda! Thank you!
When we give thanks, everything seems to get lighter. A burden is lifted and so our hearts are lighter, we lift our voices, and we lift our hands. Even our grasp on things lightens, because true thanks results in generosity.
You gave the perfect explanation to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; and, actually, the context of the whole chapter! The communal aspect, the necessity for humility, and the command in it all. So many people struggle with giving thanks in all circumstances, but the fruit of the sacrifice is that everything seems to get lighter resulting in our souls becoming more generous and God getting more and more glory.
In case anyone is curious, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) says:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
It can be very difficult to give thanks during dark times, but doing so shines a ray of light that pierces the darkness. The glory of God can shines brightest in dark places.
May God get all the glory! I’m so glad you are ok the time to share, Babs! Thanks!
Heather, My daily devotions have been focused on Gratitude for the past two weeks! It’s AMAZING how stopping my daily routine to spend time giving Thanks to God has changed my days from “chores!” to JOY! A heart of humble Gratitude changes my focus from me to God and how absolutely wonderful He is to me!
It is amazing how a change in priorities and focus can make such a difference! It’s encouraging to see how a little change can go a long way. May others be encouraged, too! Thanks for sharing with me, Jo.
God has blessed the Brown Family over the past year. With these blessings there was many years of prayer that it would be in God’s time not my time. If it was in his plan then I would know it. Everyday I go out and walk our two dogs early in the AM – 1st thing I do is look up in the sky (stars are usually still out) and say Thank You!!
I have to share a message from Paster Rick I received this weekend that all I could do is lift my hands and say Amen, Amen –
Do you know one thing I really love about Thanksgiving?
It’s a holiday that does your heart good to celebrate–because thankfulness unleashes God’s peace in your life. Philippians 4:6-7 says . . .
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NLT).
When you and I choose gratitude over grumbling, our whole outlook changes. So instead of letting fear or circumstances overwhelm you this year, cast those cares on God in thankful prayer.
You’ll experience his peace in new and amazing ways!
This just reminds me to be Thankful just not during the Holidays but all throughout the year.
Yes! Grumbling has its foundation in pride. One grumbles because they feel entitled to something else. Thankfulness that is anchored in humility allows peace. There is a counterfeit thankfulness that does not bring peace. It has its roots in pride. Thank you for sharing this, Jodie! Peace to you this Thanksgiving!