Thanksgiving is next week. It might not feel like it since we’re not supposed to get together, because of COVID-19. But Thanksgiving is still important for us because we always need to remember everything God does for us, everything He gives us, and take time to thank Him.
When I was a kid, I got gifts for my birthday and Christmas. My parents always made sure I wrote and sent thank-you cards. I wasn’t always eager to write the thank-you notes, but it was important for me to write them. It’s good for them to receive the thank-you, and it was important for me to learn to say thank-you.
Why?
Yes, it’s polite. But that’s not enough of a reason. I’ll give you three reasons why we should say thank-you, especially to God.
First, the person who gives you a gift is kind to you. They could have kept their money. They didn’t have to buy a gift for you. But they were generous. They showed kindness to you and gave you a gift. It is good and right to thank them for their kindness.
God was very generous when He gave His Son to die for us to take away your sins. God gives everything you need for physical life and spiritual life. God didn’t hold back anything. He gave everything for you. Romans 5:8 says God proved His love for us, how? While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
That shows His heart, His kindness for us, even though we don’t deserve it. This first point is that we give thanks for God’s kindness for us.
Notice that saying thank-you isn’t about us. It’s not even about the gift. We say thank-you for the giver. When we say thank-you, we are recognizing God and His goodness to us.
Second, when we say thank-you, we recognize a relationship. We have a close relationship with a person or with God. The gift may be important. Especially God’s gifts for us! His gift of Jesus for us is greater than any other gift we could get. But when we say thank-you, we say this relationship is very important. The person giving you a gift, or God who gives you a gift, is most important.
When you get birthday gifts or Christmas gifts, the people who give you those gifts are important to you. You have close relationships with them. They are your family or friends, maybe coworkers. That is why they give you gifts. If they didn’t know you, they wouldn’t give you anything. They give you gifts because of that relationship with you, because they love you.
God gives to you because He loves you. He chose you, He saves you, He cherishes you. The gifts show the giver is important. So we thank God because we recognize that relationship.
Psalm 95 says, “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” That Psalm is about worshiping God, recognizing He is our God, He is our Savior. And we thank Him. That is an important part of our relationship with Him.
Third, saying thank you is also good for us. But remember, it’s not about us, it’s about Him. When we say thank-you, that keeps us humble.
Suppose someone gives you an expensive gift, maybe a nice new car. Now suppose you don’t thank them for that gift. They gave you an amazing gift, but you ignore the person and just take the car. What is your attitude like? Probably proud, arrogant, snobby. You only care about your car. You don’t care at all about the person who gave to you. You are only proud about your stuff.
That is not a right Christian attitude. We don’t want that attitude. A right Christian attitude is to love and honor God, and not be proud of ourselves or our stuff. We want to be humble about ourselves and the gift. We want to honor and worship Him.
In Philippians chapter 4, Paul was writing the church in the city of Philippi. He was thanking them for their gifts, but he said he didn’t really need those gifts. What he wanted (vs. 17) was for their hearts to grow and benefit from giving gifts.
When we thank God, that helps us because it keeps us humble. We recognize these gifts are from God. We didn’t make them. God blesses us, so we thank Him. God chose you, He was kind and saved you from your sins. He is your God, your Savior, He loves you and cherishes you. So now we humbly say thank-you. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for everything You have done for us, to make us and keep us as Your people.
God bless your Thanksgiving!
