I was thinking this morning how quickly Thanksgiving Day has seemed to come this year. I then began to think of all the things that I'm so thankful for. I'm so utterly thankful for my family. I thank God for my family. This led my thinking to wonder what non-believers are thankful for, and how at Thanksgiving, despite ones religious or non-religious affirmations, they too will be thankful for much of the same things -- family.
Being thankful has caused me to question and wonder what it really actually means to be "thankful". The definition of thanksgiving is simply to give thanks. To be thankful there must be one to which our gratitude is given, otherwise you don't have thanksgiving. Pretty simple, basic and logical. Thankful believers and non-believers alike will give thanks on this holiday. For believers in Christ our thanks will be given to the Giver of all life. But to non-believers, where will their thanks go? To whom will their thanksgiving be given?
Unknowingly, they'll express thankfulness, caught up in the season of gratitude and being festively drunk on family and food, there will rise up in the non-believer a moment where their inhibitions will relent shortly and with thankful hearts their gratitude will rise up as well to the "unknown God". He, after all, is the Giver of the objects they will be thankful for, whether spouse, parents or children, all of which have pressed upon their visages the image of the Creator. They will be giving thanks to God because He is the originator, giver and bringer of all life. Whether they choose to acknowledge it or not, despite the foolish lies they've, perhaps, bought into, they will be unknowingly thanking Him.
At Mars Hill, as told in the book of Acts, Paul confronts the philosophers, thinkers and teachers of his day at that gathering place in Greece. There they had erected a statue to honor the "unknown god" amongst all the "known" gods of their day. Paul said that this "unknown god" they paid homage to was in actuality the revealed God of the Hebrews who had sent Christ as the sacrifice for sins so that we all might be forgiven and have new life. This "new" teaching Paul shared with them intrigued them and they sought more teaching by him. He stayed on there teaching and showing people the Way -- Jesus.
On Thanksgiving Day, all across our nation, thanks will be poured out from merry hearts to the "unknown God" upon the Mars Hill of our hearts. The sad fact, however, is that without the knowing of this God -- Jesus the Messiah -- they will null any credit that should be tallied to their accounts on behalf of their thankfulness. Professing to be wise, we become fools because we ignore the evident Giver to which we are so thankful.
Pray that our unbelieving friends, family and countrymen will see the Christ that loves them so much, who has blessed them so abundantly with their lives and family in whom they love dearly and are thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day.
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