Thanksgiving
Understanding the Meaning of Thanksgiving
In the world, saying “thank you” helps to
build good will with others who give to us and may also motivate them to help us
again. But to God, saying “thank you” means nothing in terms of us having our
needs met by him. That’s because, in the Bible sense, giving thanks to God (thanksgiving)
means more than offering a polite “thank you” to him for provisions offered;
rather, it means to receive those provisions.
Thanksgiving is not giving something; it is receiving
something. We know this, in the first place, because we say “thank you” when we
receive, not when we give.
So, to give thanks (thanksgiving) to God
means to give ourselves to him (that is, to open the door of our hearts and
lives) in order to receive his provisions.
Otherwise, we are left to believe God
provides our needs on the basis of our polite behavior toward him.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 13D05
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