Today, in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving, a time to give thanks for all we have. However, it’s morphed into a day of eating too much, watching football on television, and maybe even starting Christmas shopping.
No matter where you live or what you’re doing today, take a moment to thank God for what he’s done in your life over the past year and how he’s cared for you.
As we do this, we might want to consider what the Bible says about thanksgiving. The word “thanksgiving” occurs twenty-two times in the Bible (thirty, if you include the headings that were added later).
Leviticus mentions offerings of thanksgiving.
In Ezra and Nehemiah, there is much thanksgiving as the people return to their homeland and rebuild the city.
Of course, Psalms uses the word, too.
Even the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, which have little to celebrate, both mention thanksgiving, albeit as a future event.
Lastly, many of Paul’s letters include thanksgiving in them.
May you and your family have a happy thanksgiving!
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
