This idea of gratitude and thankfulness has recently become popular in our world. Many people have gratitude journals or some mantra they speak about being thankful for each day. But really, the idea of being thankful in our culture has been around since what is known as the first Thanksgiving, which happened before America was founded.

The First Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday began in the early 1600s, when two important people groups collided – and then collaborated for the glory of God.

The first group was the Wampanoag Indians led by Squanto. Squanto was taken from America and transported to Spain where he was enslaved, put in a cage, and displayed as a “savage from America.” After being grossly abused, Squanto managed to escape to a monastery where he was given refuge. There he became fluent in English, began reading the Bible, was saved, then baptized in the Holy Spirit. In time, Squanto made it back to his native home and people in America, where God had a mission for him – a mission that would set the course for an entire nation – to one day form an annual holiday to pause their busy lives and give God thanks.

The second group of people was the English settlers – colonists who were God-fearing and Bible-believing people, who wanted nothing more than a land where they could worship freely and give thanks to God without fear of reprisal. But when the English pilgrims began arriving and naturally conflicting with the Indians, it was Squanto who could speak their language – and build a bridge of peace. As the English struggled to survive, Squanto convinced his own people and the settlers to work together for their common welfare.

To celebrate their successful collaboration and the harvest that followed – and to thank God – the native American Indians and English settlers came together for three days to eat, play games, tell stories and get to know one another better. Since then, it has been recognized as the very first Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday in America for the believer –  it’s a way of life. Just as these two groups came together in thankfulness to God and each other, you can learn How To Live a Life of Thanksgiving by showing gratitude for what God has provided for you through Jesus Christ every day.

1. Give Thanksgiving for Jesus

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.” –1 John 5:1

The mission God had for Squanto was clear – God rescued him and then used him to save others. Just as Squanto was instrumental in bringing two groups of people together, Jesus’ mission on the earth was to bring every person back in fellowship with God through Himself.

Second Corinthians 5:19 says, “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.”

According to Merriam-Webster, the word reconcile means “to restore to friendship or harmony.” God reconciled the world to Himself by sending Jesus, so everyone who believes on Jesus is restored to friendship and harmony with God Himself (1 John 5:1).

You may not realize it, but when you believed on Jesus, you became a child of God and thereby gained access to the full redemptive work of Jesus. He provided freedom from spiritual death, freedom from poverty, and freedom from sickness. Knowing the benefits of your salvation can help you live a life of thanksgiving for Jesus and be fully satisfied in your relationship with God.

When you sit down at your Thanksgiving table this year, be sure to pause and give thanksgiving for Jesus and all the many ways He has blessed your life this past year.

2. Give Thanksgiving for Freedom From Spiritual Death

“And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” –Romans 8:2

One benefit of your salvation is the freedom from spiritual death, which is separation from God. Every person is born with a spirit that is separated from God. Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Jesus came and paid the price for your sin, so you could live free from the bondage of it. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When you believe on Jesus, you are no longer separated from God. You have a relationship with Him on the earth and the assurance of living in heaven with Him for eternity; you can rejoice and give God thanksgiving for freedom from spiritual death.

If you feel trapped in a particular sin, be quick to confess Romans 8:2 and 2 Corinthians 5:21, reminding the devil that the Spirit of God has set you free from every sin, and you have been made right with God. Thank God you have been set free from spiritual death!

3. Give Thanksgiving for Freedom From Poverty

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” –2 Corinthians 8:9

Poverty is not a blessing. People who are in poverty suffer lack and want, unable to provide for their families or give to others. According to Deuteronomy 28:15-31, poverty is a curse of the Law. Jesus came to redeem you from the curse of the Law. Galatians 3:13 says, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Because of Jesus, you can give Him thanksgiving for freedom from poverty.

If you struggle in the area of finances, give thanks to God for supplying all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to you in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Ask God to help you apply Matthew 6:33 –  putting God’s kingdom first – and expect that God will take care of you. Then, praise God that Jesus has redeemed you from lack of every kind!

4. Give Thanksgiving for Freedom From Sickness and Disease

“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” –1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)

God thought of everything! In addition to freedom from spiritual death and poverty, God also provided freedom from sickness through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:4-5 says, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (NKJV). When Jesus hung on the cross, He not only took the sin of all mankind, but He also took the sickness and disease of all mankind. Giving thanksgiving for freedom from sickness is something you can do not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day!

If you have symptoms in your body, apply the Word of God by reading and meditating on healing scriptures. Give thanks to God by saying, “The healing power of God is working in my body now to effect a healing and a cure, because I have been redeemed from sickness and disease!”

It’s not hard to learn How To Live a Life of Thanksgiving when you remember everything Jesus has done for you! This Thanksgiving, as you sit down at your table to enjoy some turkey and dressing, remember how the holiday originated with the native American Indians and the English settlers coming together. Give thanks to God for your freedom from spiritual death, poverty and sickness. And when someone asks why you’re so thankful, be ready to share the wonderful benefits God has served up for them through Christ!

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