Adding “Thanks” Back into Thanksgiving

I wrote a blog post on November 20, 2017 that is worth reposting here.

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day this Thursday in America. It’s a national holiday set aside for us to remember all that we are thankful for. However, as the child says in this cartoon, God has blessed us immensely so one day a year is certainly not adequate to give thanks! In this week’s blog, instead of writing about the history of Thanksgiving Day or a similar topic (which you can find in my previous blogs), I have chosen to focus on some Bible scriptures instructing us on giving thanks regularly. As you enjoy the day with family and friends, I encourage each of you to spend some time reading and practicing these verses as a family:

1 Chronicles 16:24 – “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.”

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Psalm 95:2 - “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.”

Psalm 100:4 - “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name.”

Psalm 107:1, 8-9 - “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endures forever… Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

Phil. 4:6 - “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Colossians 4:2 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

There are many other Bible verses, but these are extra special to me. Don’t let this Thanksgiving Day be one filled with just eating, drinking, and watching sports. Spend time thanking the great I Am for all He has blessed you and your family with and then remember to do it again and again each day thereafter!

Celebrate International “Thank You” Day on January 11 with Your Children

        Did you know that there is a day especially set aside internationally to celebrate “Thank you”? I have written before about the importance of gratitude and wanted to encourage you to celebrate “thankfulness” as well.

        The origin of “thank you” is not known.  People have used written forms of communication since the early days of the Egyptians and Chinese dynasties.  The word “thank” appears to have developed in the Middle Ages.  The Europeans exchanged greeting cards since the 1400s and it is believed that in the 1500s and 1600s, saying “thank you” became well-used. 

        In regard to the specific origin of International “Thank You” Day, it is believed that it began around the early 1900s.  In 1902, an editorial in The New York Times first mentioned that day.

        Why is it important to say “thank you”? This quote from globalmagazine.com expresses some reasons:

Every year January 11th is observed as International Thank-You Day. We often forget to say thank you because we take it for granted. It is important to express your thanks to people who have made your life better and happier. A person’s excellent manners will be shown by the words he or she uses.

        The link below has a list of 28 Bible verses that all refer to being thankful.  Consider setting aside 28 days and going over one of these verses with your children each day.  Talk about it with them and even help them to memorize some.  Catch them when they are being “thankful” and emphasize how important that is.  At the end of the 28 days, have a game to find out who remembers the most verses and give out prizes.  If you make learning fun and rewarding, your children will truly enjoy learning and most importantly, incorporate what they have learned into their daily actions which will eventually develop into habits.

To learn more, please visit:

https://nationaltoday.com/international-thank-you-day/

https://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/international-thank-you-day-the-importance-of-celebrating-it/

https://www.countryliving.com/life/g32348015/bible-verses-about-being-thankful/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_clv_md_pmx_us_urlx_18709966696&gclid=CjwKCAiAzKqdBhAnEiwAePEjksTXOc1gtnb9vv-qkcJ0ChZBxMDdo4JHVy8aSkZrFktjS-Lqx9I4zxoCk6kQAvD_BwE

Adding “THANKS” Back Into Thanksgiving Day

I wrote a blog post on November 20, 2017 that is worth reposting here:

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day this Thursday in America.  It’s a national holiday set aside for us to remember all that we are thankful for.  However, as the child says in this cartoon, God has blessed us immensely so one day a year is certainly not adequate to give thanks!  In this week’s blog, instead of writing about the history of Thanksgiving Day or a similar topic (which you can find in my previous blogs), I have chosen to focus on some Bible scriptures instructing us on giving thanks regularly.  As you enjoy the day with family and friends, I encourage each of you to spend some time reading and practicing these verses as a family:

1 Chronicles 16:24 – “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.”

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Psalm 95:2 - “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.”

Psalm 100:4 - “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.”

Psalm 107:1, 8-9 - “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endures forever… Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

Phil. 4:6 - “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Colossians 4:2 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

            There are many other Bible verses, but these are extra special to me.  Don’t let this Thanksgiving Day be one filled with just eating, drinking and watching sports.  Spend time thanking the great I Am for all He has blessed you and your family with and then remember to do it again and again each day thereafter!