Americans celebrate a holiday called Thanksgiving once per year. People tend to reflect during this time on their blessings and prosperity. It is also a great family time. Christians, however, should practice thanksgiving daily as part of the Christian life and walk.

Psalms 100 is the Psalm of Thanksgiving. We are encouraged to enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Scripture reiterates for us to be thankful and bless His (God's) name. What is the basis for this thanksgiving and praise: the goodness of God, His everlasting mercy, and His eternal truth. God is good. Because God hates sin and judges sin does not negate the fact that God is good and is benevolent. His nature cannot tolerate sin. Many people confuse his nature with goodness. God withholds what we deserve. We deserve judgment and removal from planet earth due to our sin; however, God in His grace and mercy takes care of us and blesses us. God's truth is eternal. Humans and the educated world just can't get it that there is objective truth that is eternal. Objective and eternal truth exists. Truth is not subjective and does not does not rest in the eye of the beholder. Due to God's goodness, His mercy, and His truth, we should be thankful, praise God, and bless His name.

In Philippians 4:11 Paul makes an amazing admission. He says that with respect to want he has learned to be content regardless of his state. He knows how to be abased and how to abound. He knows how to abound and then how to suffer. In verse 18, he recognizes that he has all and abounds. In verse 19 he realizes that God supplies all of his needs. Due to the fact that he practices praise and thanksgiving, the Christians can model Paul's behavior. Do we model thanksgiving and praise?

Paul's summarizes his view toward the Christian life in I Thessalonians 4:18. He admonishes believers to give thanks in everything. Being thankful is God's will. Being thankful should be comprehensive and inclusive - all things. All means all.

Romans 1 illustrates what happens when people are unthankful. Due to the fact that people did not give God His proper glory and were unthankful, people became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Mankind created things to worship instead of giving God His glory. Then, God gave up unthankful humans to general immorality, homosexuality, and a reprobate mind (without the hope of salvation).

I would encourage believers in Christ to practice thanksgiving 365 days per year. We should be thankful for who He is, what He has done for us, what He is doing, and what He will do. He is the sovereign God of the universe, creator, and sustainer. He has all knowledge and all power. He is everywhere present and never changes. He gives us exactly what we need; he meets our needs. Let's be thankful and praise Him!