Why Biblical Gratitude Can’t Be a One-Day Thanks Event
Why Biblical Gratitude Can’t Be a One-Day Thanks Event
It’s that time of year again. The air is cold, the smell of cinnamon is everywhere, and we brace ourselves for the chaotic American tradition: the jump from Thanksgiving Day straight into the consumer frenzy of Black Friday.
We gather, we eat, we express thanks—and then, hours later, we’re battling for discounted gadgets. If you’ve ever felt a spiritual whiplash from this transition, you are not alone. Let’s talk about why these deeply ingrained customs, though fun, can actually obscure the perpetual gratitude Yahweh calls us to.
Check the Scriptures: Man-Made vs. Holy Days
You can comb through the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Epistles, and you will not find a single verse commanding a national Thanksgiving holiday or a Black Friday shopping spree. However, you can find and learn about Yahweh’s mandated biblical holy days by clicking here.
These annual events are entirely man-made traditions—civic and commercial holidays, not biblically appointed holy days. We enjoy the history and the family time, but we must maintain a clear spiritual perspective: they carry no divine weight or mandate.
The Bible does establish days of remembrance and feasts for Yahweh’s people, but our modern November observances are distinct. Confusing an American custom with a biblical command sets a low bar for our relationship with Yahweh.
The Lie of the Annual Thank You
The real spiritual danger of Thanksgiving Day is the subtle suggestion that we can contain our duty of gratitude for Yahweh into one Thursday a year. We pause, we say grace, we eat, and then we check the sales flyers. We check the “gratitude box” and move on.
But our Father in heaven Yahweh requires so much more than an annual acknowledgment. The Apostle Paul makes it crystal clear that thankfulness is not an event; it’s a perpetual spiritual posture.
He instructs the church at Thessalonica with an active, continuous command:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of Yahweh in Messiah Yahshua for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Read those words again: always… without ceasing… in all circumstances. This is a 24/7, 365-day mandate for every believer. We aren’t just called to be thankful when the harvest is in or the meal is hot; we are to live a life that is actively overflowing with gratitude because we have received His grace and “indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Our praise should be a continual offering. The writer of Hebrews pushes us to make gratitude a constant sacrifice:
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to Yahweh, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.” (Hebrews 13:15).
From Gratitude to Greed: The Black Friday Contradiction
The swift pivot from Thanksgiving to Black Friday exposes the fragility of a one-day thankfulness. In a matter of hours, the spirit of humble gratitude transforms into the frenetic pursuit of materialism.
We flip the switch from being grateful for what Yahweh has given us to a frantic drive to possess more stuff. We trade the attitude of thankfulness for the spirit of covetousness.
The issue isn’t a good sale; it’s the heart attitude. The Bible speaks sternly against this kind of restless materialism because it distracts us from the eternal. We are called to be content, finding our security in Messiah Yahshua, not in consumption.
As Paul wrote to Timothy:
“But holiness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (1 Timothy 6:6-7).
When we see the aggressive consumerism that marks Black Friday, we have to ask: Are we chasing the great, eternal gain of holiness, or the small, temporary gain of discounted material things?
Your Call to Action: Live a Life of Constant Thanks
Don’t let the calendar define your relationship with Yahweh. Use the man-made Thanksgiving Day only as a helpful reminder, but commit to making gratitude your daily, active life practice.
1. Acknowledge the Source, Daily. Recognize that every perfect gift in your life is from Yahweh (James 1:17). Everything is a gift, not a right.
2. Cultivate Perpetual Praise. Move beyond the holiday. Commit right now to find something to thank Yahweh for every single day, in every circumstance, until it becomes the default posture of your heart.
3. Invest in the Eternal. Prioritize people, relationships, and service over the accumulation of possessions. Let the love of Yahweh, not the love of money, rule your time and resources.
We hope and pray that after reading you’ll understand why biblical gratitude can’t be a one-day thanks event; it is perpetual, or eternal!
You don’t need a special calendar date to stop and thank the Creator of the Universe. Yes, make today, and every single day that follows, a day of true and genuine, non-stop thanksgiving to Abba Yahweh and Savior Yahshua.
