It's Thanksgiving. The turkey's in the oven, the relatives have invaded your house, and you are watching your favorite team battle in a grueling game of football. Is turkey, family, and football the meaning of Thanksgiving? Keep reading to learn the real meaning of Turkey Day and what giving thanks is all about!

The History of Thanksgiving

In 1621, after a hard first year in the New World, the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very plentiful. They had beaten all the odds and had abundant provisions for the coming winter. Their Governor, William Brandford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving which was to be shared by colonists throughout coming years. Thanksgiving Day continued to become an annual custom that many states adopted through 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving during the middle of the Civil War. The following is Lincoln's "Thanksgiving Proclamation" that instituted America's holiday:

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choisest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

Unfortunately, the situation in our nation has not improved since Lincoln wrote these profound words, but from this we see that Thanksgiving was meant to be set apart to God as "a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens." It is a day of acknowledging what God has given us and humbly thanking Him for it.

Why Should We Give Thanks?

Abraham Lincoln stressed Thanksgiving as a day for giving thanks to our Maker. Why should we do this?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -- "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
We should give thanks because God commanded it! As children of a gracious God, we are called to always have a glad heart filled with praises for our Father.

James 1:17 -- "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
We should give thanks because we owe everything we are and have to God! We must never come into the thinking that we deserve anything that has been given to us by our Almighty God. If we believe that we don't deserve what we have, than the One who has given it to us should receive our thankfulness.

John 3:16 -- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."
We should give thanks because God has given the ultimate gift to us: salvation through Jesus Christ! Even though we are sinners who do not deserve the mercy of a perfect God, in His love for us, God laid down His life on the cross so that we could receive the gift of eternal life -- a gift we could never receive on our own. I don't know about you, but I sure think that calls for praises of thanksgiving!

Many other verses in the Bible point to this subject, but one thing is for certain: Anybody who is alive right now has something to be thankful for. The next few sections will elaborate on each of the three points mentioned above.

When Should We Give Thanks?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that we should "give thanks in all circumstances", but this is often hard for us to do. We don't usually have a problem giving thanks when things are going well, but what about the bad times?

Maybe you've heard of James 1:2 -- "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds." That's the kind of attitude we are supposed to have. Sometimes it seems like God is far away when we're going through bad times, but God says that He gives trials to those who love Him for our good. (Romans 8:28) I'd be worried if you weren't going through trials. When things are going well, often times we slip away from God and trust in our good fortune. How else will we learn the meaning of thankfulness if we aren't facing obstacles that require us to focus ourselves on God?

Look at Job. No other man of his time was so committed to God, and God tested him to see if he would remain faithful through any circumstance. In one instant, Job lost his possessions, servants, most of his family, including his children, and his health was reduced to nothing. Did Job complain and curse God to the ground for this plague? No, he worshiped God and praised Him. (Job 1:20-22)

Look at a modern Chinese pastor. He preaches on Tuesday. That day he is arrested, beaten, and imprisoned with his wrists chained to his ankles for three days, during which time he receives no food or water. Does he curse God? No, he preaches again the next week. Every week he endures this painful ordeal, and he couldn't be a happier or more thankful man.

Next time you don't think you can go on, think about such people. If we obediently give thanks in each circumstance in life, I guarantee the results will be amazing. It isn't for no reason that 5000 people come to know Christ in China, and another 5000 in India -- each and every day.

What Do We Have to be Thankful For?

We have learned from the Bible (James 1:17) that we should be thankful for everything, but the word "everything" really doesn't mean much to us. I could list off a hundred things we can be thankful for, but instead I would like to quote from a man named Forest Felling, who gives us "A Summary of the World".

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you can hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

We tend to compare ourselves to people who have more than us, and then greedily want what they have. Instead, we should try comparing ourselves to people who are less fortuante. As you can see, we have a lot to be thankful for when we look at things in the right perspective.

How Can I Show My Thankfulness?

People have many ways of saying Thank You. Even on the Internet, it warms your heart every time you receive a heartfelt *huggie*. Each person has their own ways to show love to others, but how about God? How do we show that we are thankful for the abundance of things God has given us? There is really only one thing that God wants from us -- to believe in Him. The thing that makes God the happiest is when we humbly admit that nothing we have comes from ourselves, but that we are sinners who are in need of a Savior. We must accept His gift of salvation by embracing Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior and laying our lives down to the One who died for us. Luke 15 gives us a picture of a great celebration in heaven every time one sinner repents. God is the happiest when we are trusting in Him, and we are the happiest when we are living in God's will. One of the most common questions people ask is what God's will is for us. I may not be able to tell you everything, but if you want to know what God wants from you, here's a good way to start: Give thanks.