A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

For those who are in Christ Jesus there are great reasons for Thanksgiving. Yes, God has poured out His grace on us in a multitude of ways. He has richly blessed us with relationships, families, shelter, food, clothing, jobs, and health just to name the most obvious.

But, the lavishness of God’s grace is found in Jesus Christ who offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, cleansed us from all unrighteousness, and adopted us into His family as fellow heirs of God.

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"
-Psalm 50:23

This verse comes at the very end of a Psalm of judgment. Psalm 50 speaks of God as the One who will judge all people. He does not delight in sacrifices as if He is some pagan deity who needs to be fed, or appeased, or bought for in verses 10-11, He says…

For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.

In other words, no amount of sacrifice will earn us God’s favor. God needs nothing from us. He is independent. Rather, we desperately need God for He is the Holy and righteous judge of all the earth.

So, the only acceptable sacrifice to God is a sacrifice of thanksgiving; thanksgiving for what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. It is this sacrifice that glorifies God. It acknowledges that God is holy, that we are dependent on God, that God had graciously provided for our salvation, and that God has made a way for us to be counted righteous.

To order your way rightly is to acknowledge you are a sinner, repent of your rebellion against God, place your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and for His righteous covering, and walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. What is left after this? What is left is to offer our lives a sacrifice of thanksgiving for all that God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

Let our thanksgiving this holiday be grounded in the gospel. Yes, there is much to be thankful for, but most importantly is our gratitude for God. Let us be quick to remind one-another and to testify to our profound gratitude for God’s gracious provision in Jesus Christ.