At some point between cutting the turkey and someone snatching the last buttery roll, it’s likely that you and your Thanksgiving guests will ask: “So, what are you thankful for this year?” This practice of gratitude is not a bad one—certainly one we ought to practice more often than once a year. Gratitude, however, tends to become a platitude around this season. “Giving thanks” is just another part of the grand tradition of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and—depending on whose Thanksgiving you’re at—Mac ‘n Cheese.
What does it look like for the Christian to practice thankfulness in this and in every season? To answer this, we turn to Paul’s letter to the Colossian church.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.— Colossians 3:15–17
Although there is plenty packed—or shall we say stuffed—into these few verses, three things, specifically, can aid our consideration of practicing thankfulness.
The Foundation of Thankfulness
The thankfulness to which Paul is exhorting the saints goes hand-in-hand with the peace of Christ and is part of our identity within the body of believers (v 15).
Christians are new creations, and as such, Paul tells us in the beginning of chapter 3, we ought to have our minds set on the eternity we will spend with Christ in glory (vv. 1–4), laying aside both earthly sins and earthly distinctions (vv. 5–11), and putting on that which befits God’s children: “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Col. 3:12). Paul goes further, telling believers to bear with and forgive one another—just as we have been forgiven!
Our thankfulness is built on this foundation of newness—new hearts, new fellowship with God’s people, and the new hope of eternal life. Our thankfulness is a reflection of that peace, but it should also be accompanied by the conduct of new creatures in Christ. It is not fitting to offer up thanks for the blessings God has given while scorning those sitting at the table with us. Instead, we should “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (v. 14).
The Structure of Thankfulness
Like our prayers and our worship, thankfulness is patterned for us in Scripture. We are to “Let the word of God dwell in you richly” (v. 16), through teaching, discipleship, and worship. And we are to dwell on the word with thankfulness. Scripture both instructs our thankfulness and is the source of it!
What does it look like to be thankful in the Bible?
Paul writes elsewhere: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16–18).
In Philippians, Paul ties these three themes together again: thanksgiving, prayer, and peace.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.— Philippians 4:4–7
This triad of praising God through prayer and receiving peace is demonstrated throughout the psalms (e.g. Pss. 34, 92, 95).
So our thankfulness should be informed by and modeled after the truths of God’s word. It should be unceasing and partnered with prayer. We ought to be able to sing with the psalmist to him who “gives food to all flesh” and so “give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps. 136:25–26).
The Object of Thankfulness
The God of Heaven—there we find the object of our thanksgiving. It is not enough to say, “I’m grateful for my family” or “I’m thankful for my school or job or community,” if we do not recognize the giver of these good gifts. Thanksgiving is incomplete without giving thanks to God. And so, Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (italics added).
This, too, we see patterned in Scripture. Thanksgiving is always directed at the Lord.
Psalm 100 tells us to “Make a joyful noise to the Lord” (v. 1) and to meditate on the character of God: “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (v. 3).
We give thanks to God because of who he is and what he has done—for his mighty acts (Ps. 150:2), for his deliverance (Jer. 20:13), for his righteousness (Ps. 7:17), and for his mercy, which endures forever (1 Chron. 16:34).
Embrace this opportunity to practice thankfulness, remembering the God who has given you all these gifts—and, much more, eternal life in his Son—so that even from lowest of places, or the barest of celebration tables, we can say, “the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Ps. 100:5).
