How to be Thankful

As followers of Christ, Thanksgiving should be one of our favorite holidays. Sure, it isn’t a religious holiday in the sense that it celebrates the life of Christ. Instead, it reminds us of the blessings we have in Christ. Even when life is difficult, we always have the gift of salvation to be thankful for, and that is worth a Thanksgiving celebration. How do we show our thankfulness to God, though? Psalm 100 says we are to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name.” Doesn’t this sound like it could be a thanksgiving dinner? Traveling, joining with other believers, praising God’s name, giving thanks aloud and with great joy. Children and grandchildren should see and feel our praises to God for His goodness. But as followers of Christ, we are called to be thankful beyond Thanksgiving. It’s part of our daily life. As Philippians says, we are commanded to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known to God.” So even in times of struggle and quiet, we can show our gratefulness by prayer and petition to Christ, not worrying but remembering how Christ has blessed us in the past. So, whether at Thanksgiving or as a daily occurrence, we are called to be thankful to the one who gives us life, strength, and all good things. This is Luis Palau.