Biblical Thanksgiving: Acknowledging the Source of Every Blessing

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – (Eph. 5:20)

Ephesians 5:20 calls us as Christians to a life marked by continuous  thanksgiving. In today’s world, gratitude has become a popular practice, with secular movements encouraging people to keep gratitude journals or express thanks for the good things in their lives. While these practices may yield temporary benefits, they often fall short of true thanksgiving, as they omit the crucial aspect of recognizing the Giver—God Himself. Secular gratitude focuses on feelings, positive thinking, or the universe as an abstract force. Biblical thanksgiving, however, is rooted in a relationship with the living God. It directs us to give thanks to our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Spirit.

The difference between secular gratitude and biblical thanksgiving is great. While the world promotes giving thanks as a means to feel better or to gain more good things, biblical thanksgiving on the other hand is an acknowledgment that God is the source of our every blessing.

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change

It is God who gives us life, breath, and every good thing (James 1:17). To practice gratitude without directing it toward God is to miss the point entirely. We are not merely grateful for circumstances; we are grateful to a person, to God Himself, recognizing that He alone is the provider and sustainer of all things.

Romans 1:21 speaks to the condition of the unregenerate heart: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

In Romans 1:21 we see failing to give thanks to God is a hallmark of a heart that has turned away from God. Reread it slowly. Just as unregenerate hearts do not pray or call on the name of the Lord, they ultimately do not acknowledge God in their lives, they do not express any gratitude to God. They refuse to recognize Him as the source of their every blessing. Secular gratitude may involve a momentary sense of thankfulness, but it lacks the depth of biblical thanksgiving, which flows from a heart that is transformed by the grace of God, senses its deep unworthiness and is humbled by the mercy and generosity of God being filled with His Spirit.

As Christians, we are called to a different kind of gratitude—one that acknowledges God in all our ways. Proverbs 3:6 tells us, “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” True thanksgiving goes beyond acknowledging the gifts we receive; it acknowledges the Giver. It is God who strengthens us, who grants us every success we enjoy, and who works in the midst of our trials and tribulations for our ultimate good. This recognition changes the way we approach thanksgiving. We do not simply give thanks when life is going well; we give thanks “always and for everything,” because we acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all circumstances and trust in His goodness and ways even when we don’t always fully understand those ways.

This trust enables us to give thanks even in the midst of suffering and hardship. Romans 8:28 reassures us that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. This includes not only the pleasant moments but also the difficult ones. We can give thanks in the midst of trials because we know that God is using even our suffering for His glory and our sanctification. He makes even sin His slave, turning what the enemy meant for evil into something that ultimately accomplishes His good purposes.

Biblical thanksgiving is not something we muster up on our own. It is a response to God’s grace, made possible through the work of Christ. Ephesians 5:20 makes it clear that our thanksgiving is “to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is only through Christ’s atoning work on the cross that we have access to the Father.

Colossians 3:17 tells us, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Our thanksgiving is not only directed to the Father, but it is also offered in the name of the Son, acknowledging that it is through Jesus’ sacrifice that we are able to approach God with confidence and gratitude. Jesus reminds us in John 15:5, that apart from him, we are unable to do anything, and this includes our giving genuine thanks to God the Father.

John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

True biblical thanksgiving to God is empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is a spiritual act, that is a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5:18. Our ability to live lives of constant gratitude comes from the Spirit’s work within us. The Spirit opens our eyes to see God’s hand in every circumstance, stirring us to praise Him even in the midst of our trials. It is the Spirit who enables us to recognize that every good gift comes from the Father and that even our suffering is being used for His glory.

In contrast to the world’s fleeting gratitude, the Christian’s thanksgiving is continuous, unbroken, and grounded in the truth of God’s sovereignty. It acknowledges that God is the source of all blessings, both spiritual and material, and that He is working all things together for good, even when we cannot immediately see how. We are called to give thanks always and for everything, continuously an perseveringly trusting that God’s purposes will be accomplished in His perfect timing.

As we gather around the table this Thanksgiving, let us remember that biblical gratitude is not confined to one day a year, nor is it dependent on the favorable circumstances we might enjoy. Rather, it is a way of life, as Ephesians 5:20 teaches us: “give thanks always and for everything.” This means giving thanks in seasons of joy and in seasons of trial, trusting that God is at work in both. Our gratitude is rooted in the reality that our Father is good, our Savior has made a way for us, and the Spirit is at work within us, transforming even the hardest moments into opportunities for God’s glory.