But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
-Galatians 4:9-11
As Christians, we ought to know that God doesn’t espouse holidays! We would know it from the scripture listed above, but also in the book of Acts chapter 15: this chapter indicates the end of the “law of Moses” which would include observing days. I might also add that if there were any days God wanted us to observe, He would tell us in His Word how, when, where, and why! If we are promoting holidays undirected by God, that is unacceptable, and part of slipping back into a works-based salvation format. We Christians are supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and should therefore have better discernment regarding Holidays- the spiritual “fruit” ought to tell us something!
You might see that I have done an article about Christmas. In it, I mention how our religious holidays were founded in pagan religions, and incorporated through the Catholic Church. But should that include Thanksgiving Day? This particular holiday originated in America, based on the Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth Rock, but long before we were even a nation. It might interest some to know that it was the ancestors of these same Pilgrims who gave voice against a national holiday of thanksgiving, when the early American government was considering making it official! So here we Christians have an apparent dilemma; it would almost seem as if the Day of Thanksgiving would be an honor to God, and not a disobedience to Him. Yet if we look more closely at the Word of God (King James Bible only), and the spiritual fruit of Thanksgiving, the truth will become plain enough…
The giving of thanks ought to be an intimate part of a believer’s walk with Christ. It will not be confined to one day a year, or even to just once a day! It is also not confined to when we are prospering, or to worldly things, or to saying grace before we pig out at dinner! God’s Word shows us to be thankful at all times, and also not to be unequally yoked together with unbelief. The unsaved world loves their holidays, don’t they? But exactly what are they thankful for, and to whom?
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? …Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. –II Corinthians 6:14, 17&18
IF ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. –Colossians 3:1-3
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. –James 4:4
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. –I John 2:15&16
If the unsaved world loves its holidays, then how can we love and value what they do? The Bible tells us that few will be saved, right? It also tells us that in our natural sinful state, we are rebellious toward God and His righteousness: why then, would born-again Christians find such comradeship with the unsaved during the holidays? The preaching of the cross has ceased, hasn’t it? Thanksgiving Day is not holy!
God also wants an everyday relationship with His people. Making some type of special celebration once in a while makes us “feel good” about our relationship with God. It is that form of Godliness that denies Him, as prophesied and warned of in II Timothy 3:5. Let us look over some scriptures for appropriate instruction into thanksgiving…
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. –Psalm 69:30
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. –Psalm 100:4
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. –Psalm 107:21&22
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; -II Corinthians 9:11&12
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; -Ephesians 5:20
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6&7
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. –Colossians 2:7
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. –Colossians 4:2
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. -I Thessalonians 5:18
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; -I Timothy 2:1
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. –Hebrews 13:15
Is there any way in which Christians can justify emphasizing a single, annual day of giving thanks to God? If they did, how could it be united with an unsaved world? The scriptures listed above are just a select few of many that could have been used- even some without the root of “thanks” in them. Doesn’t praise to God usually involve thanksgiving?
Just look at Thanksgiving Day in America: it is a very thin veil for unrestrained covetousness! Are we really thankful to God? The professing “church” of the last days doesn’t need God for anything, according to Revelation 3:16&17;
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
When we espouse the parades, we are reveling in the pride of this world. When we glory in the sports (football primarily on T-Day), are we not guilty of “eating and drinking with the drunken,” as Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:48-51? Alcohol is an integral part of such events, and we are supporting it; rather than opposing it as we should. What can real redemption mean to the unsaved, when the church shows that they are no different than the lost?
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. –I Peter 2:9-12
What about the wasted time on the holidays? We may need times of refreshing, but the careless squandering of time & opportunity is truly appalling. For the Christians, our time here on the earth is the time for sowing; reaping will come after the death of our bodies, and is eternal…
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. –Luke 21:34-36
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. –Ephesians 5:14-17
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. –Colossians 4:5
So what then, you may ask, should the attitudes & actions of a Christian be when it comes to holidays? My first admonition would be to seek the Lord for wisdom (James 3:17) as to the specifics of your situation. If you are here in America, you most likely have been given the holiday off with pay, at least for Thanksgiving. Keep it simple, and let your behavior be consistent with an everyday walk in Christ. No special holiday decorations ought to be displayed or invested in. Please find another salutation besides, “Have a happy Thanksgiving.” Family gatherings are almost a natural for the day, and could be engaged in; but you needn’t wait for earthly holidays to do it! I fear that many of us wait for such holidays to enlist behavior that ought to be a year-long standard for the Christian…
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. –Proverbs 3:27&28
Brethren in Christ, we need to prepare for the judgments of God that are even now beginning to overspread the earth. We need to clean up our lives, so that our souls will not be lost in the strong current of evil that now is flooding the world. Are we ready? Let’s follow the Word of God in seeking to overcome…
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. –John 3:20&21
Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth goodunto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. –Judges 10:13-16 (Bold type added for emphasis)
IF ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. –Colossians 3:1-3
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. –James 4:4
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. –I John 2:15&16
If the unsaved world loves its holidays, then how can we love and value what they do? The Bible tells us that few will be saved, right? It also tells us that in our natural sinful state, we are rebellious toward God and His righteousness: why then, would born-again Christians find such comradeship with the unsaved during the holidays? The preaching of the cross has ceased, hasn’t it? Thanksgiving Day is not holy!
God also wants an everyday relationship with His people. Making some type of special celebration once in a while makes us “feel good” about our relationship with God. It is that form of Godliness that denies Him, as prophesied and warned of in II Timothy 3:5. Let us look over some scriptures for appropriate instruction into thanksgiving…
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. –Psalm 69:30
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. –Psalm 100:4
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. –Psalm 107:21&22
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; -II Corinthians 9:11&12
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; -Ephesians 5:20
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6&7
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. –Colossians 2:7
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. –Colossians 4:2
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. -I Thessalonians 5:18
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; -I Timothy 2:1
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. –Hebrews 13:15
Is there any way in which Christians can justify emphasizing a single, annual day of giving thanks to God? If they did, how could it be united with an unsaved world? The scriptures listed above are just a select few of many that could have been used- even some without the root of “thanks” in them. Doesn’t praise to God usually involve thanksgiving?
Just look at Thanksgiving Day in America: it is a very thin veil for unrestrained covetousness! Are we really thankful to God? The professing “church” of the last days doesn’t need God for anything, according to Revelation 3:16&17;
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
When we espouse the parades, we are reveling in the pride of this world. When we glory in the sports (football primarily on T-Day), are we not guilty of “eating and drinking with the drunken,” as Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:48-51? Alcohol is an integral part of such events, and we are supporting it; rather than opposing it as we should. What can real redemption mean to the unsaved, when the church shows that they are no different than the lost?
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. –I Peter 2:9-12
What about the wasted time on the holidays? We may need times of refreshing, but the careless squandering of time & opportunity is truly appalling. For the Christians, our time here on the earth is the time for sowing; reaping will come after the death of our bodies, and is eternal…
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. –Luke 21:34-36
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. –Ephesians 5:14-17
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. –Colossians 4:5
So what then, you may ask, should the attitudes & actions of a Christian be when it comes to holidays? My first admonition would be to seek the Lord for wisdom (James 3:17) as to the specifics of your situation. If you are here in America, you most likely have been given the holiday off with pay, at least for Thanksgiving. Keep it simple, and let your behavior be consistent with an everyday walk in Christ. No special holiday decorations ought to be displayed or invested in. Please find another salutation besides, “Have a happy Thanksgiving.” Family gatherings are almost a natural for the day, and could be engaged in; but you needn’t wait for earthly holidays to do it! I fear that many of us wait for such holidays to enlist behavior that ought to be a year-long standard for the Christian…
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. –Proverbs 3:27&28
Brethren in Christ, we need to prepare for the judgments of God that are even now beginning to overspread the earth. We need to clean up our lives, so that our souls will not be lost in the strong current of evil that now is flooding the world. Are we ready? Let’s follow the Word of God in seeking to overcome…
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. –John 3:20&21
Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth goodunto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. –Judges 10:13-16 (Bold type added for emphasis)
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