This Thanksgiving I want to issue three warnings:
1) Don’t settle for mere horizontal thanks. Of course, it’s good to express gratitude to loved ones and other folks for their kindness, support, companionship, etc. But don’t forget the vertical:
- I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart… (Ps 9:1).
- I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations (Ps 57:9).
- Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57).
- We give thanks to you, Lord God… who is and who was, for you have taken your great power & begun to reign (Rev 11:17).
2) Don’t focus your gratitude on fleeting blessings. Health and safety are terrific, yet they’re so small in the scheme of eternity:
- I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever (Ps 86:12).
- Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever (Ps 136:1).
- Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Jer 33:11).
3) Beware of the debtor’s disposition. It’s common, in our relationships with each other, to feel a sense of indebtedness when we receive a favor. So we reciprocate and repay the kindness. But in relation to God, this stance is both wrong and dangerous.
In Christ, God has extended saving grace to us as a gift of infinite value, just as the price paid at the cross for our redemption was of immeasurable worth. We cannot begin to pay God back. And if we try to, we spurn his generous heart and refuse the gift of grace which is our only hope for salvation. And so, instead, embrace Acts 17:25 (God gives us life, breath, and everything), and settle into the humble, grateful posture of sheer recipient (1 Cor 4:7).
