Thanksgiving is a Choice By Dr. Brian S. Simmons

A Steward’s Heart for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving season, as stewards of God, we need to make a conscious choice to be thankful!  Emotions may or may not accompany this choice, and we sometimes don’t feel very grateful because we live in a fallen world. We do well to follow, David’s example!

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

~ Psalm 100

The Choice

A choice is an action. Note the verbs in Psalm 100… shout with joy, worship with gladness, come with singing,  acknowledge the Lord is God, enter with thanksgiving, go with praise, give thanks, and praise His name.  This reminds me of God’s hall of fame of faithful stewards in Hebrews 11. The names in this Scripture are all followed by verbs. Abel brought, Noah built, Abraham offered, Rahab hid… you get the idea

For the faithful steward, these actions are acts of obedience to God. Further, these acts are demonstrations of submission of our wills to His!  We may not feel thankful at a particular moment, but faithful stewards choose service to God and others over self-interest, resulting in a grateful spirit.

The Foundation

What is the foundation or basis for our thankfulness?  First, thankfulness rests in the belief that God is good!  He always wants the best for His children. Do we believe this fundamental truth when things don’t go our way? Belief in the goodness of God is the first step to thanksgiving.

Next, when the going gets rough, remember that the loving faithfulness of the Lord endures forever!  What a comfort!  What a solid foundation to build a spirit of thankfulness, love, and appreciation!  It has been said that when the going gets rough, the rough gets going. I suggest that when the going gets rough, we need to trust in the loving faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.

Finally, our thankfulness is based on our heavenly Father’s faith extending beyond us to our children, grandchildren, and future generations. How blessed we are, and how thankful we should choose to be!

Happy Thanksgiving!

####

Dr. Brian S. Simmons is the director of the PhD in Organizational Leadership degree program, professor, and PhD student mentor at Columbia International University. He exists as a visionary builder to further the kingdom of God through Christian education, teaching, and influencing others.