Tis the Season...

“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.”
Psalm 69:30

The season of thanksgiving that is. As I was looking for today’s verse I was struck by the idea that God has to remind his people that they need to be thankful. How well the Father knows His children, He knew that they would take the many blessings He provides either for granted or that like a spoiled child they would develop an attitude of entitlement. How easy is it for us to take our many blessings for granted or at times to feel entitled to the good things God has for us? I suspect it happens more often than we would like, I know that is the case with me. 

The Hebrew word translated as thanksgiving in the Old Testament is toda and the Greek word used in the New Testament is eucharistia. Both of these words have similar meanings but something in the definition of toda really caught my eye it said: “Thanks is the speaking of the excellence of a person or object, with a focus on the personal gratitude of the speaker.” Did you catch that? When we give thanks for the people and things in our lives the attitude of how we express our gratitude is important. Do you say thank you because you are just being polite or do you give thanks from a place of sincere gratitude?

As we race toward the next “Tis the Season” may we slow down enough to truly enjoy the season of Thanksgiving and may we give thanks for the amazing God we serve, for the people in our lives who are walking on this journey with us - no matter how rough the road may get, and for the many things we have and may we give that thanks out of hearts overflowing with gratitude.

What are you thankful for? Today, as I have written this, the list of things I have to be thankful for is growing longer by the second. In fact that list is so long that I think today I am even thankful for the not so good things in life.

Tis the season for giving thanks - do so with an attitude of extreme gratitude. 

A Prayer
Father - Thank you, thank you for every good thing You have given to us. Thank you for the people who have given us to share life with. Thank you for the struggles and hard times that make us stronger and make us turn to You. Thank you that you hear our prayers and long to give us good things. Thank you that You loved us so much that you sent Your Son to take away our sins and restore our relationship with you. Help us to live from a place of gratitude all year long. In the name of Jesus, who gives us a reason to be thankful we pray - Amen