Thanksgiving is not a holiday.

Luke 17:15–18
15 One of them (lepers), when he saw he was healed, came back, glorifying God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?”

Did you notice that giving thanks for the grace of God we have received is akin to giving glory to God? By the way, the word for thanks in the Greek means “to have grace.” Paul brings these two ideas of thanks and glorifying God together in Romans 1:21, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

One of the practical ways we glorify God is by giving Him thanks. It’s why David says in Psalm 69:30-31 “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.”

Thanksgiving is not a holiday; it is a practical way for us to glorify God for the grace we have received. Thanksgiving is not a holiday; it is a spiritual discipline critical for our mental, emotional and spiritual health. Thanksgiving is not a holiday; it is a critical step in the rehabilitation of those suffering from the epidemic of entitlement in which all the sick think they should be treated as a god. Thanksgiving is not a holiday; it is an outlet to express our gladness of heart. Thanksgiving is not a holiday; it is something God immensely enjoys.

What benefits have you seen from giving thanks?

P. S. Don’t forget to give thanks.