It’s the day after Thanksgiving holiday. It used to be referred to as Black Friday because businesses opened early with great bargains and people rushed to buy anything and everything as the official start of the Christmas Season began. This enabled many businesses to turn the corner and finally become profitable (in accounting terms to be operating in the black rather than the red ink of deficit). Of course, Christmas Season now starts in September and businesses have been vying for our money for months now.
Giving thanks has not stopped simply because the holiday is behind us. Paul reminds us that we are to “always” be giving thanks to God. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Eph 5:19-20 NIV]
Our hearts are to be filled with singing and music. We are to be speaking the truths of God to each other in song. And we are to always be giving thanks. It’s a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year thing. Why? Because power in our lives flows through thanksgiving. David knew it. Daniel knew it. Paul knew it. Jesus knew it.
Not only did Jesus give thanks before feeding the multitudes, He gave thanks on that last night of fellowship with His Disciples before He died. “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’” [Luke 22:19 NIV]
His command was to not just break bread in remembrance, it was to give thanks also. “Do this,” He said. “This” included the giving of thanks. Jesus knew His followers would need the power of thanksgiving in their lives. That need has not changed for any of His followers.
