Certain seasons of the year attract certain reflections within. And with it being November, I am reflecting on the meaning of Thanksgiving. I am not referring solely to the Pilgrims, but what the disposition of our heart should be.
There is only one type of person that gives thanks. It is the person that is indebted to another because of what one has done. For the child who was saved from disaster, to that person, the child would give thanks. For the man that was given a promotion, to that promoter, that man would give thanks. For the beggar on the street to whom money was given, to that person, that beggar would give thanks. We give thanks because we have received and have received something of value, but unfortunately there are times when thanks is not given.
Oversight of the Gift
1) One of the ways in which we miss Thanksgiving, is by giving oversight of the gift. The greatest gift the world has ever received was Jesus Christ, but our greatest plunder is not recognizing that gift. In the testimony of Jesus in John 1, he proclaims that "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not". Though the world and everything in it was made through Jesus, how is it that we have failed to recognize Him? It is through Him that we live, move and have our very being, our very life.
Failure to Recognize Value
2) Sometimes we have the eyes to recognize the gift, but fail to recognize the value of what was given. When we don't understand the value of a gift, we miss the opportunity to give honor by its worth. I'm reminded of the woman of Canaan who cried unto Jesus for mercy and the response of Jesus was, "It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs" and the response of the Canaanite women was "the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's tables". What do we see here? She saw exponential value in what Jesus possessed, although it was not for her to received. Jesus honored her faith and what she was believing for was given to her. I believe she was grateful for what Jesus could give her.
Rejection of the Gift
3) This might be one of the most rebellious acts of mankind, knowing God but not glorifying Him as God. The man that is a recipient of a gift, but negates the giver, attributing the glory elsewhere is rebellious. It is a stiff-necked and arrogant attitude that usurps glory from the source to give to another. It does not matter where the source derives; parents, friends, an employer or your doctor, but we must realize that God is the Ultimate Source. Stripping Him of His glory and withholding of our gratitude is rebellion. This is one of the highest forms of defiance unto God.
Embracing Thanksgiving
Jesus is not alone in how we fail to acknowledge the gift, "truly...as you did it to the least of these brothers, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40). The disposition of our hearts should always be of thankfulness, not only to God, but to each other. How can we love a God we can not see, but can't love our brother who we can see? Our thanksgiving should overflow unto the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:15). May we ever keep our eyes on Jesus, the greatest gift. May we the revelation of His value be made known unto us. And may we never slip into rebellion, attributing our thankfulness else where.
Happy Thanksgiving
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