Thanksgiving: Gateway to the Holidays

Many nations have special days for giving thanks. In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is always the fourth Thursday in November.

Wherever we are in the world, there are at least two requirements for any sort of thanksgiving to happen: something we’re thankful for and somebody to thank. As obvious as that may seem, it’s amazing how many people can say, “I’m thankful for . . .” in a sort of generic way without admitting, or even realizing, that God is there to hear their thanks. And they’re certainly not giving him credit for whatever it is they’re grateful for.

We who are Christians, though, know that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). And when Paul prays that the Ephesians would be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18–20), everything reminds us that not every good gift seems happy at the moment. Read more