Thanksgiving, the Gateway to Heaven's Blessings

Translated by AI.

Thanksgiving is a disposition and a habit of behavior that shows itself in our words, actions, thoughts, feelings, and character, and it is always praised as a positive trait. A thankful person knows the worth of the gifts they have, sees them, and treasures them. In this article we will take a brief look at what thanksgiving means from the Bible's perspective and what effect it has on our lives.

The first question is: what does thanksgiving mean in the culture of the Bible? A brief look at God's Word shows that thanksgiving means something more than expressing thanks and saying we are grateful. Thanksgiving is the gateway into a land whose King and sovereign is God. Thanksgiving is not only the proclamation of God's kingship over what we have and have received; with the eyes of faith, it is also seeing and accepting His kingship over what we shall yet have.

Thanksgiving is knowing and declaring the profound truth that God, as the King of our lives, not only remembers and cares about our needs today, but has already thought of what we will need in the future. Thanksgiving is the fruit and the declaration of our complete dependence on God as our supporter, guide, and provider. Thanksgiving is not a passive act but an active one. It is not a one-way relationship from us toward God; it is stepping onto a two-way highway. Thanksgiving completes the blessing and the plan God has for us.

In Luke 17 we see the story of the ten lepers who are healed by Jesus, yet only one of them comes back to give thanks for the healing that has taken place. It is a beautiful picture. Only the thankful man, on the two-way highway of blessing, receives the complete plan and blessing. His faith is commended, and he moves Jesus. Not only is the leper moved by the miracle — Jesus is moved by the thankful man. Our thanksgiving touches the Lord Jesus as well.

In Psalm 145:10 we read that the works of God's hands give Him thanks:

"All Your works will praise You, O LORD, and Your faithful ones will bless You."

In other words, wherever God is at work and the work of His hands is seen, thanksgiving will rise into His presence. This is what the two-way highway means: God's works draw us toward thanksgiving, and our thanksgiving opens God's arms toward fresh blessings.

In the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, which we witness in the Gospels, this two-way road can be seen with perfect clarity. The only food brought to Jesus is five loaves and two fish. Such a blessing is very small for feeding four or five thousand men. The blessing is there, but it is small. Before we enter the story, we should notice this: the miracle of thanksgiving and the receiving of great blessings begins with seeing, and being thankful in, the small things. It would not be strange to suppose that among those five thousand men, accompanied by thousands of women and children, there were others who had food with them. But only one young boy saw the blessing in his hands as so worthy and so great that, with a step of faith, he brought it forward to feed thousands. Let us look at the story from another angle: as long as we do not see what is in our hands as a great work and blessing from God and give thanks for it, we will not witness a miracle greater than the one already in our hands. The two-way road of miracles begins where we see that our hands are not empty and grasp the blessing of today.

Now back to the story. Jesus lifted the five loaves and two fish before the Father and gave thanks. Five loaves and two fish — food that might have been enough for a few people — fed thousands. In this story Jesus teaches us and His disciples a great lesson. With thanksgiving He brought what there was under the reign and kingship of God, declaring to the Father: You are King over what is in my hands; so it is Your responsibility to feed these people with a miracle of Your own kingdom. Here the small work and blessing was seen, and thanked for, before the great miracle.

"All Your works will praise You, O LORD, and Your faithful ones will bless You."

However small the works of God's hands may look to us, they lift thanks toward Him; and after that thanks, the two-way highway of thanksgiving pours out an indescribable blessing. Thousands are fed, and twelve baskets full of leftovers remain. Yet Jesus asks the disciples — weary from a very long day of serving — to gather up the leftovers into baskets. Twelve baskets are filled: one basket for each disciple.

The question is: why, when they had organized this great miracle and were so tired from the days of service behind them, did Jesus still ask them to collect what remained of the miracle? Had they not worked enough? Were they not tired enough?

Jesus immediately asks the disciples to get into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake — onto a road where a fierce storm awaits them. Jesus is not with them in the boat, but the remnant of the great miracle is there. A sign of God's work goes with them — something that, when the disciples saw it, would remind them what a mighty thing the Lord had done for them. The disciples needed to carry a token of the miracle of thanksgiving, so that passing through the storm they could look at it and take strength, trust God, and cross the lake with thankful hearts and a hope fixed firmly on yet another miracle. Jesus had told them to go to the other side; if Jesus had said it, they would surely reach the other side. All they needed was the memory of God's work in the past, driving them on toward another destination. But the disciples were afraid. Jesus came to them walking on the water, calmed the storm, and asked why they had not understood the miracle of the loaves — why they had hardened their hearts. Perhaps He glanced at the baskets and said: why did you not remember what a great miracle I worked a few hours ago through thanksgiving?

Sometimes we need to keep before our eyes, every day, the basket filled with the miracles the Lord has done for us through thanksgiving, so that seeing them we may overflow with a gratitude rooted in faith — a faith able to carry us through the storms ahead. Thanksgiving not only for what we have already witnessed, but for what is yet to happen for us in the kingdom of God.

Philippians 4:6-7 says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Now let us return to the first sentence of this article. Thanksgiving is a habit of behavior that shows itself in our words, actions, thoughts, feelings, and character — and its result is the opening of the doors of heaven's blessings over our lives.