Have you ever had someone return a favor to you? You did something nice for them, and now they want to do something nice for you. Well, that’s what thanksgiving is all about. It’s returning the favor.
In Ephesians5:20 the Apostle Paul says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now this means that “giving thanks” ought to characterize the way we think at all times – an “attitude of gratitude” at all times for God’s gracious provision in our lives.
This word, “giving thanks” is the Greek verb eu from which we get the word, Eucharist (the word for the Lord’s supper). Actually, this is a compound word. The first part “eu” is the Greek prefix meaning “good.” And (the second part) means “grace or favor.” When you put the two together, you have Eucharist – meaning “good favor.”
The Eucharist is a celebration of the good favor of God expressed toward us. Now this is the verb form of this word, and it means “to be grateful or thankful.” It is to wish upon someone “good favor.” So think about what our Thanksgiving holiday really means. God has blessed us abundantly – not just with goods and services, but by providing salvation from our sins through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. He has really done a “good favor” for us. Well, when we express our thanks, we are really “returning the favor” (not that we could ever pay Him back). But by expressing our thanks for His “good favor”, we are giving back to Him our “good favor”. “Giving thanks always for all things” – that’s what Thanksgiving is all about.
Say – Are you really grateful to God?