In the United States, we set aside the fourth Thursday of November for a day of thanksgiving. This is a good cultural practice, but the Scriptures instruct Christians to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The Greek word for “will” is thelēma, which means, “desire, wish, purpose, will, decision, or intent” (James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek New Testament [Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997], 2525). In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln decreed a national Thanksgiving Day, but God’s desire for us is to live a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Nancy Leigh DeMoss states, “Thanksgiving really should be thanksliving—a way of life—day in, day out, morning, noon, and night—continually, forever giving thanks to the Lord” (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, quoted in Leslie Bennett, “Thanksgiving … or Thanksliving?,” Revive Our Hearts, accessed July 29, 2022, https://www.reviveourhearts.com/leaders/blog/thanksgiving-or-thanksliving/).
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