A Pale Shadow...The Real Deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are living in a post-modern, post-Christian country today, sad to say. I looked up "thanksgiving" on Wikipedia...check it out...

More from Wiki ~~

Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

...religious undertones!!!!!!!!! ...religious undertones!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh spare me!!!!!!!!!!!!

...deliverance by the Native Americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROTFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh, sorry...but really...) (well, at least we know Who really delivered them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

However, those of us who are believers in the God of the Bible and have the gift of eternal life through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (1Peter 1:3-4), live always in a "Christian country", as it were. As Paul said (no pun intended!) we are only pilgrims ( 1 Peter 2:11 & Hebrews 11:13) in this post-modern-christian whatever...!

Now, let's see if we can come up with a robust definition of "thanksgiving" ~~ one with true meaning, especially for us!

"THANKSGIVING — the aspect of praise that gives thanks to God for what He does for us. Ideally, thanksgiving should spring from a grateful heart;

but it is required of all believers, regardless of their initial attitude (1 Thess. 5:18).

We should be grateful to God for all things (Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 5:18),

but especially for His work of salvation and sanctification (Rom. 7:25; Col. 1:3–5; 1 Thess. 1:2–7; 2:13).

We ought also to thank God in anticipation of His answering our prayers (Phil. 4:6), knowing that His answers will always be in accord with His perfect will for our lives (Rom. 8:28–29)." Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Ah, that's better!

The word thanksgiving occurs 28 times in the King James Version & as thanksgivings twice.

Two particularly lovely instances are ~~

Psalm 100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

and

Psalm 116:17
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.

I pray that you had a blessed thanksgiving day, with your thanksgiving directed to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!!