Reflections for Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is a time to reflect on the year and thank God for all the ways He has blessed us. Here are some thoughts on thankfulness from the Bible to help you thank God this year:

1. Being thankful reveals where we are spiritually (Rom 1:21).

2. Being thankful has nothing to do with how much we have or don’t have. 

3. Being thankful is very different from being pleased with ourselves and our own accomplishments (Luke 12:16-20). 

4. Being thankful takes place only when we realize there is someone who deserves our thanks.

5. Being thankful is not optional—it is a command of God (1 Thess. 5:18).

6. Being thankful is always possible, not because life is necessarily easy or enjoyable, but because God promises to be at work in every situation for good for all his people (Rom. 8:28).

7. Being thankful is often an act of faith, and sometimes even a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” we offer to God (Psa. 50:14 and 107:22). 

8. Being thankful is simply another way of acknowledging that God is God.

9. Being thankful demonstrates our dependence upon God.

10. Being thankful guides how we should think and pray (Phil. 4:6).

11. Being thankful is one way of pointing others to Christ.

12. Being thankful should focus on the greatest, most costly Gift ever given—the gift of our Savior and new life through him. (John 3:16)

Brian Labosier is the Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies and Spiritual Formation at the New England Christian Study Center. NECSC is a new unaccredited, certificate level lay institute in Auburn, MA.

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