Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving

November 24, 2025

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, bepatient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 106:1, 12-13

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

,,,

12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise. 13 They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

Why do we find it so hard to be thankful? We seem to be surrounded by an entitled generation that is not grateful for the blessings that we have received from the Father. Of course this is not a new thing. Psalm 106 is a history of all the good things that the Lord did for the nation of Israel, but then they quickly forgot His works. The psalmist is reminding them to sing His praises and give thanks to the Lord. So we are not so different from the ancient Israelis. The Lord has also done great things for our nation, but we quickly forget and grumble and complain. Even in Paul’s day, the admonition to give thanks  in everything is in the same passage as the instructions on admonishing the unruly. So I suppose it’s just human nature to forget the good things and focus on our problems. That’s why Paul encourages us to pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything.

We set aside one day this week as Thanksgiving day, but we need to remember to give thanks every day. The Lord has done great things for us, but we quickly forget. So remember what the Lord has done and give thanks. Praise His name and rejoice always for that is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.