When we say thank you, we are saying, in effect, that we are not self- sufficient. Giving thanks curbs our ego and brings us down to size. It is a reminder that while capable and responsible, we are needy and dependent.

Luke 17:11-18 And it came about while He was on the way to Jerusalem, that He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a certain village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ And when He saw the, he said to them, “go and show yourselves to the priests” And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answered and said, “were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who turned back to give God glory, except this foreigner?

Introduction The most important consideration is that we are called on by God to be thankful Ephesians 5:20: “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the father;” 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.

Introduction We should be not nearly so concerned with the season of Thanksgiving as we should with the practice of thanksgiving in our lives as Christians year round. There is a certain perspective that comes from thanksgiving— not the holiday but the practice, that we want to address.

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OURSELVES We are reminded that we need God and the people of God. Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863: "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us. We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue in our own lives. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self- sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us."

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OURSELVES There is something extremely healthy that results from us making the words of Psalm 100 our own. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving. And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations”.

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OURSELVES In addition, we are reminded of how we need each other as the people of God Philippians 1:3-5 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of you participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,”

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OURSELVES Our arrogance is addressed when we discipline ourselves to be thankful in all things. Genuine thanksgiving will improve our perspective about ourselves— by helping us keep ourselves in perspective. Someone said, "If we learn how to give ourselves, to forgive others, and to live with thanksgiving, we need not seek happiness--it will seek us."

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR THINGS When we say “thank you” we are remembering that we did not get all we have by ourselves. We are not self-made people. No one is. We are stewards. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2: Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” Thanksgiving helps our perspective about our things in at least two ways.

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR THINGS First, it causes us to count our blessings and realize how much we have and enjoy and what responsibilities we have toward it. 1 Peter 4:9-10: “Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR THINGS Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings each morning, Thank you Lord, that I can hear and have the strength to rise. There are those who are deaf and bedfast. Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, Thank you Lord, for my family. There are those who are lonely. Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in the magazines, and the menu is at times unbalanced, Thank you Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry. Even though the routine of my job is monotonous, Thank you Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no work. Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day, and wish my modest circumstances were not quite so modest, Thank you Lord, for the gift of life.

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR THINGS Second, having counted our blessings, expressing thanks for them helps to keep us from developing an insatiable desire for more and more, in which we are covetous instead of content. To thank the Lord for all we have is to remember the rich and rare blessings that we enjoy-- the things money cannot buy Luke 12:15 “And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when on has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR THINGS Our avarice/greed is addressed when we discipline ourselves to be thankful for all things. The story is told about Alexander Whyte, a Scottish preacher, that he always began his prayers with an expression of gratitude. One cold, miserable day, the people wondered what he would say, what he could find to be thankful for. Whyte began his prayer, "We thank Thee, Lord, that it is not always like this.“ This makes the point that we should look for things to be thankful for because of what it reminds us about our "things" in general.

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR GOD When we give thanks for what we have, we are forced to think about God the great giver of the greatest gifts James 1:17: “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” Scripture lays out for us what God has done and reminds us to be thankful for it.

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR GOD Colossians 1:12: “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Romans 6:17-18: “But thanks be to God that though you were salves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness”. 2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR GOD Our anxiety is addressed by giving thanks. When we thank God for all He has done and given to us, we focus our attention on His grace and power Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God”

Conclusion One cannot be thankful until they are content. Thankfulness grows out of thoughtfulness. Our focus on giving thanks should cause each of us of think carefully about all God has done for us, and that should move us to draw closer to Him? Charles Dickens said that we should have 364 days of thanksgiving and allow only one day for griping and complaining. That is a good idea.