Monday, November 23. 2020
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
Luke 22:19
Thanksgiving Joy
In Luke 22:19 Jesus shows us the way to give thanks. He is about to be crucified and He knows it – not the circumstances most would feel thankful for, yet He was thankful for the grace and glory that was to result form the cross. And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” The Greek word for “thanks” in this verse is eucharisteo.
Ann Voskamp explains this word beautifully:
The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.” Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks. Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.” Charis. Grace. Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving. Chara. Joy.
When we give God thanks for the gifts He gives, He gives another gift back to us – joy. When we can be grateful and joyful in every circumstance, we see things differently. Our perspective changes. Thanksgiving is not just a day, it is a way of life. That means that we don’t have to wait for things to change or get better or search endlessly for some elusive fairy tale called joy. It is here and now, in every circumstance, when we can give thanksgiving to God.
A heart of gratitude will be a content heart. Pain, gratitude, and contentment can actually co-exist even though it may not be our favorite trio of feelings. Being thankful in all things certainly doesn’t mean we are thankful for the circumstances we are in. It means that – in spite of the circumstances we are thankful because we know and understand who God is. Ann Voskamp also said Thanksgiving is the one thing God asks to be done in everything and always…He knows what precedes the miracle. In every circumstance God is at work for some purpose. It may simply be for us to learn to be thankful in everything. Or it may be that this circumstance you are in right now is a tiny piece of the miracle He has ahead in your life. Until we can be thankful in each circumstance – or piece of the miracle - we cannot see the next piece. Every little piece makes the whole and its all important.
Help your children to understand this life-giving principle. All we have, we have because of Him and we need to model gratitude to God for everything, and in every circumstance. We are our children’s first perception of God. We need to show our kids an attitude of gratitude in good times and bad.
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, and this year has been hard for all of us, worse for some than others. Now more than ever we need to remember to be thankful in spite of the circumstances we might find ourselves in, because we know and understand who God is. At times like this, one of two things happen. We either feel thankfulness greatly, or we fail to see what we can be thankful for in the midst of the rubble around us. Sometimes the deeper we have to reach to find thankfulness, the greater the lesson we learn and the stronger the joy we feel.
This week I urge you to remember these three words, grace, thanksgiving, and joy. Eucharisteo. Jesus is the only way we are able to give thanksgiving at all times and in all circumstances. Thanksgiving to Him will bring us the joy we so desperately need.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
