What the Bible Says About Thankfulness

In this season, as we welcome the fall season and prepare for Thanksgiving, how do we keep thankfulness and the practice of gratitude at the forefront?

Think about how often in a day someone does something for us, however small. Do we remember to thank them? Now think about how often God helps us in life. Think about how much God has given us. When we pause to thank God, we recognize that he has a track record of blessing us, providing for us, and protecting us. How often do we say thanks to him? Thankfulness changes the way you look at the circumstances of your life. Complaining connects you to unhappiness; gratitude and praise connect you to the source of real joy. When you make thanksgiving a regular part of your life, you stay focused on what God has done and continues to do for you. Expressing gratitude for God’s help is a form of worship. When you give thanks to God, you honor and praise him for what he has done—in your life, in the lives of others, in the church, and in the world. Similarly, you honor others when you give thanks to them, respecting them for who they are and what they have done. This attitude of gratitude prevents you from expecting others to serve you and allows you to enjoy whatever blessings come your way. An attitude of thankfulness not only brings blessings to your life, but it blesses others with appreciation and honor.

Why should I give thanks to God?

1 CHRONICLES 16:34 | Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Because God is good and kind and loving.

LUKE 17:16 | He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done.

A thankful heart plays a role in the maturing of our faith.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:57 | But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because he gives you victory over sin and death when you put your faith in Jesus Christ.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:15 | Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

For God’s Son, Jesus.

COLOSSIANS 4:2 | Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

For answered prayer.

1 TIMOTHY 4:4 | Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.

For the beauty of creation.

1 CHRONICLES 16:8 | Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
PSALM 111:1-2 | Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.

To let others know how wonderful God is.

EPHESIANS 5:20 | Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
COLOSSIANS 2:7 | Let your lives be built on him. Then . . . you will overflow with thankfulness.

Because thanksgiving keeps our mind on Christ and our thoughts on others.

How can I show God I am thankful?

1 CHRONICLES 16:7 | On that day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the Lord . . .
PSALM 147:7 | Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God with a harp.
COLOSSIANS 3:16 | Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

With music and singing.

PSALM 100:4 | Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

By praising and honoring him.

PSALM 116:17 | I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Through worship and giving.

PSALM 119:7 | As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!

Through obedience and service.

COLOSSIANS 4:2 | Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Through prayer.

When should I give thanks to the Lord?

PSALM 92:2 | It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.

Morning and evening.

LUKE 9:16 | Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them.
1 TIMOTHY 4:4 | Since everything God created is good, we should . . . receive it with thanks.

When you are about to eat food he gives.

COLOSSIANS 3:15 | Always be thankful.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 | Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Always. We should maintain a spirit of constant gratitude.

What can I be thankful for?

MARK 6:41 | Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them.

You can thank God for providing life’s basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, oxygen, and life itself.

PSALM 13:5-6 | But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

You can thank God for helping you through your troubles.

PSALM 44:7 | You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies.

You can thank God when you have experienced success.

1 SAMUEL 18:3-4 | And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.

You can thank God for friendships.

JAMES 1:17 | Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.

You can thank God for everything good in your world and in your life.

JOHN 3:16 | “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 | This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

You can thank God for his gift of salvation, which brings a new start to life and peace with God.

JAMES 1:2-4 | Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

You can even thank God for adversity, because it is often through the difficult times that you grow the most.

How do I develop an attitude of thanksgiving in myself and my family?

1 CHRONICLES 29:13 | “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!”
PSALM 108:3 | I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.
PHILIPPIANS 1:3 | Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

Cultivate thankfulness by giving thanks regularly—to God and also to others. Set aside time every day to think about things you are thankful for. Make a mental list of God’s blessings in your life—especially the most recent ones—and thank him for them. Don’t wait to feel thankful before giving thanks. Giving thanks will lead you to feel thankful.

What are the consequences of an unthankful heart?

EXODUS 1:8 | Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.

Thankfulness fades with time. Apparently the new king had never been told about Joseph and the way Joseph had saved Egypt from starvation. For us, fading memory—neatly forgetting what we owe to God and others—can become a convenient way to avoid repaying our debt. Don’t let time rob God of the thanksgiving he deserves from you.

2 CHRONICLES 32:25 | Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him.

When our pride becomes a barrier, keeping us from thanksgiving and praise, it acts also as a wall to keep us from God.

2 TIMOTHY 3:2-5 | For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.

A consistently ungrateful attitude will eventually turn you into a bitter and mean-spirited person.

Promises from God

1 CHRONICLES 16:34 | Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
COLOSSIANS 2:7 | Let your lives be built on him. Then . . . you will overflow with thankfulness.

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