GIVE THANKS ALWAYS
It behooves me on this day to talk about the giving of thanks. I know Thanksgiving is past, but, it is still
important that we talk about it. You see, thanksgiving or giving of thanks is not something that we
should do once a year, but, every day of our lives.
Ephesians 5:20 (KJV)
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ;
Colossians 3:15 (KJV)
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye
thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
We are so bombarded by everything vying for our attention that we forget to give God praise. We don’t
thank God for bad things that happen, but, we give Him thanks for seeing us through the hard times. We
should thank Him for all of the blessings that He gives us. What is special about this is God knows us and
he knows that we are human and that sometimes we forget, but, He tells us not to forget everything
that He does for us.
Psalm 103:2 (KJV)
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
An excellent example of this giving of thanks all the time is given in the book “OF Plymouth Plantation
1620-1647” by William Bradford.
William Bradford was the first Governor for Plymouth Plantation and the book is the chronicling of the
beginning years of the colony. The exert that I am talking about is one that William Bradford wrote. It
was written at the beginning of the first winter. The Pilgrims had landed late in the year and didn’t have
time to plant and harvest. They were surrounded by hostile Indians, didn’t know the land and they were
facing a hard winter to come. Even with the plantation being short on food, shelter and necessities
William Bradford wrote this:
“What could now sustain them (the people of Plymouth) but the Spirit of God and His grace? May not
and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say ‘Our fathers were Englishmen which came over
this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard
their voice and looked on their adversity,’ etc. ‘Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good
and His mercies endure forever.’ ‘Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord shew how He
hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered in the desert wilderness outof the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them.
Let them confess before the Lord His lovingkindness and wonderful works before the sons of men’”
The men and women that founded Plymouth didn’t give thanksgiving once a year or just in the good
times they gave thanks all of the time and they didn’t go around and say “Gee I’m thankful.” No! to be
thankful means you are thankful to someone. These people were thankful to God!
We have examples in the Bible of men and women who believed God and wrought great miracles and
wonders, but, we, also, have examples of other Christians doing great deeds and the Pilgrims are just
such an example. They came to a strange land not knowing what lay ahead, but, put their confidence in
God and thanked Him for their deliverance and providence and by this they, with God’s help, founded
our great nation.
1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV)
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
