A Pure Heart of Thanksgiving

Many expressions of thanksgiving will be cast out of heaven this Thursday. Why? They will be offered from a heart of pride.

Have you ever realized how easy it is to become prideful of God's provision? In my circles, it is common for people to give credit to God for His provision and blessing, and we are absolutely correct to do this, for we know all good gifts come from above. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17) But when our focus on His blessing outweighs our focus on Him, we are subject to sin. Why? Because of where His blessing has fallen--on us! If we become more concerned about giving God glory for our blessings than giving Him glory for who He is, our focus is really on ourselves. Our gratitude is not glorifying to God if we are worshipping what we are receiving from Him instead of worshipping Him. Nor is He pleased by my thinking too much about how my life is bettered by His blessing, or how good I feel because of His goodness toward me. Do you see all the "we's" and "me's" instead of "Thee's?" When our focus is primarily on what we have been given, we are operating from a self-centered rather than God-centered heart. We must not be focused on the gifts, but the Giver.

This time of year our country sets aside a time to express our gratitude toward God for His goodness, mercy and blessing. I believe the original motive for the holiday was pure. However, what was considered a blessing in yesteryear differs from our materialistic view today. Join me in returning to striving for purity in gratitude to God this Thanksgiving. Let us thank Him for our abundant blessings, by keeping the focus on Him and who He is, not on the blessings themselves. This season, may we remember to be most grateful for His presence, His faithfulness, His mercy, His guidance, His protection, His power, His sovereign rule, and His eternal love for us expressed most clearly through the giving of His only Son. May God be the heart of our Thanksgiving!