Bible Study Series: Thanksgiving, An Attitude Of Gratitude

 

THANKSGIVING, AN ATTITUDE OF

 GRATITUDE

The Thanksgiving story started with a group of Protestants who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1620 they left their native England because their religious sect was persecuted. Their first winter was harsh, but with the help of Squanto, a Native American who spoke English,

they planted corn and started to fish the land that belonged to his tribe, the Patuxet.

The tribe was tragically killed by smallpox. However, the Protestants welcomed a banner harvest in 1621. They celebrated with three days of feasting from their harvest along with food from the Wampanoag tribe (the Patuxet was a band of this larger tribe). That very first Thanksgiving took place in 1621 sometime between September and November on Plimouth Planation. ( Plimouth is spelled differently than Plymouth since the original spelling by Governor Bradford was Plimouth

In 1941, president Lincoln made thanksgiving a national holiday

The US is not the only country that have a day of thanksgiving.

Canada, Ghana, China and Japan and thirteen others countries

have a day of thanksgiving for their reasons. For example, only about

2 percent of Japanese are Christians. Their celebration has nothing

to do with religion.

In America, Thanksgiving is largely a secular holiday. It a day to be

off work, stuff ourselves with turkey and sides, watch football and

get prepared for black Friday shopping. And by the way, thank you

God. Families spend all week planning menus, grocery shopping,

traveling, and by the way thank you, God. Thanksgiving is big business.

Thanksgiving had it start long before there was America. It started

in the desert after God freed the Israelites from the slavery of the

Egyptians.

Leviticus 7:12-15

If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. 13 Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. 14 He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings. 15 The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning.

The first celebration was commanded by God. The Israelites were forced

to learn how to worship the one true and living God.

America celebrates thanksgiving every year in November. For the

believer every day is a day of thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is more than a celebration with family and friends. It

more than a turkey dinner. Thanksgiving is the reverence of the one

true living God.

We are commanded to give thanks and call on the name of the Lord.

THANKSGIVING IS A LIFE OF PRAISE

Ezra 3:11

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

"He is good; his love to Israel endures forever."

Psalms 42:4

4 These things I remember

as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go with the multitude,

leading the procession to the house of God,

with shouts of joy and thanksgiving

among the festive throng.

Psalms 69:30-31

I will praise God's name in song

and glorify him with thanksgiving.

ASSEMBLE FOR PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Psalms 100:4-5

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

THANKSGIVING IS A LIFE OF PRAYER

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When our focus is on the Lord, we don’t have to worry about grocery shopping,

travel plans or turkey dinners. All we have to do is live in His peace.

THANKSGIVING IS REVERENCE FOR THE

 GOODNESS OF THE LORD

1 Timothy 4:4-5

4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Thanksgiving sees God as the creator of everything, and everything He made

is holy. All we see, hear, and do is from the goodness of the Lord

THANKSGIVING IS ABIDING IN THE LORD

Luke 24:30-32

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

Thanksgiving is recognizing the Lord as the supreme provider.

When we thank the Lord our eyes are open to His goodness

TRUST THE LORD IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD

Daniel 6:10-11

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Daniel prayed to the Lord with his windows open in defiance of the kings

decree to worship only his statue.

We should rather die than worship man or his decrees. Daniel prayed

with confidence that God would take care of Him in times of trouble.

SUMMARY

THANKSGIVING IS AN ATTITUDE OF

 GRATITUDE TO THE LORD.

THANKSGIVING IS A LIFE OF LOVE

THANKSGIVING IS A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE

THANKSGIVING IS A LIFE OF PRAISE AND

 WORSHIP

THANKSGIVING IS A LIFE OF PRAYER

THANKSGIVING IS A LIFE OF TRUST

CLASS QUESTIONS

WHO ARE YOU THANKFUL TO?

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

WHAT WILL YOU DO AS A RESULT

OF YOUR THANKFULNESS?