And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. —Colossians 3:17
In 1789, President George Washington designated the first national Thanksgiving Day when he issued a proclamation for “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”
In our day, it can be very easy during our feasting to forget about the One we are celebrating on Thanksgiving. And sometimes we forget to give thanks altogether. You may say, “Well, I don’t have a lot to give thanks for. I am just not feeling thankful this year.” Maybe you are having financial troubles or health problems or there is conflict in your family.
But maybe we need to get things into perspective. The primary reason we were put on this earth as human beings was to glorify God and to give Him thanks. The Bible tells us this again and again. Psalm 107:1 says, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (NKJV). Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (NIV). Hebrews 13:15 says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (NKJV).
Yes, praise and worship can sometimes be a sacrifice because we don’t want to do it. And that might be because we are depressed or down or things aren’t going that well. It may be that hardship or tragedy has befallen us, and we don’t feel like praising God. But the Bible does not say give thanks to the Lord because you feel good. Rather, it says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” We need to put things into perspective.