According to the Oxford Dictionary, Thanksgiving is defined as “the expression of gratitude, especially to God.” This article is not about the American holiday but an attitude we express towards God and others in our daily lives.
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 (KJV)
16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Apostle Paul said we should give thanks in everything—he described it as the will of God. The will of God in everything is thanksgiving. I usually say life is a choice. One of the good choices we can make in life is giving thanks, especially to God. We can be deliberate and make it an attitude.
When I was a child, I had this ungrateful attitude. My mum had this culture of buying a lot of things at the same time for me and my siblings. She would come home after work, and we would offload her bag. She mostly bought clothes and distributed them, but somehow, it usually looked as though mine was the least beautiful. Sometimes, after she gave me what she got for me, it would be obvious in my attitude that I didn’t appreciate it. I don’t think what she got for me was any less—it was just that I wasn’t grateful child then mostly because I compared mine with others.
Comparison negatively affects our ability to be grateful.
~Oluwabunmi Akomolafe
This is how many of us live our lives—we go through life without truly being grateful for anything. We carry around a sense of entitlement. I often say, “A sense of entitlement holds us bound and keeps us from progressing.” My mum consistently corrected me as a child, teaching me to be grateful for even the little things. Ingratitude steals our joy and breeds dissatisfaction.
When I was younger, I occasionally followed my mum to the market—though it wasn’t something I enjoyed. The marketplace in Nigeria is very different from what we have in the United States. Every time I went with her and she asked the market women how business was, they would always complain—about sales, the economy, everything. Looking back, things were much better then, but still, they always complained.
Recently, I was chatting with my mum, and I pointed out to her, “If the market women complained that much back then, now that the economy is so much worse, what could they possibly be doing now—what’s left beyond complaining?” I was simply emphasizing the importance of gratitude. It’s truly a miserable life to go through constantly complaining.
Certain character traits simply cannot coexist with gratitude—like complaining, grumbling, and a sense of entitlement. These negative attitudes rob us of joy. As Billy Graham once said, “An ungrateful heart is a heart that becomes cold toward God and blinded toward the mercy and love of God.”
I would like us to read the Parable of the Talents together. While the context and purpose behind Jesus sharing this story are different, I want us to focus on the attitude of the servant in the story. This was the second parable Jesus shared in this chapter. He was essentially comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to a master and his servants in these parables. Let’s dive in.
Matthew 25:14-30 ESV
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,
25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?
27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
These three men demonstrated different attitudes toward the property that was shared. This is not a doctrine, but we can observe the attitudes of the three servants. The men with five and two talents had a different attitude from the man with one. Verse 16 says the man who received five talents went at once and traded with them. We see his motivation. But the man with one talent had a very different attitude—he went off and dug a hole to hide his master’s money.
Now let’s pay attention to how he responded when it was time for accountability. We should not forget the context of this parable as the description of the Kingdom of Heaven. I regard context and following the rules of Bible study, and that is why I am making this emphasis. It was not talking about thanksgiving or gratitude, but we can see the demonstration of men’s attitude.
We can see the way he responded to the master—something seemed off in his attitude. He told the master that he wanted to reap where he did not sow. It’s almost like he was saying, “What exactly did you give me that you expect me to multiply?” His attitude reminds me of how I used to react to my mum’s gifts when I was very young. A Nigerian would understand this expression: “Kini?”—meaning, “What is it?” or “What did you even give that eye has not seen before?”
“Ingratitude steals initiative and multiplication.”
~Oluwabunmi Akomolafe
This third guy couldn’t even take the initiative to invest the property or money in the bank. The master even pointed this out to him—he said, “You could have at least invested it in the bank.” But the servant couldn’t think that way because ingratitude steals initiative. Ingratitude robs you of the power to take positive steps, because your mind stays focused on what you lack or what others have that you don’t. I see this attitude clearly in the third guy.
A lifestyle of ingratitude also makes a person angry—and we see that in the way this man responded to his master. He insulted him.
You cannot be grateful and angry at the same time. You also cannot be happy and ungrateful at the same time.
~Oluwabunmi Akomolafe
This third guy couldn’t multiply what he had like the others because he wasn’t grateful for what he had. This is not doctrine, but my personal reflection.
Benefit of Gratitude
Gratitude helps us deal with anxiety. I had to learn this and make the choice to be grateful. My personality type tends to have a strong desire for more in life—which isn’t bad in itself—but if not properly managed, it can take away your ability to be grateful when things don’t go as expected. Giving thanks helps you hand things over to God, and in return, it brings relief from anxiety.
We live in a world where many people are struggling with anxiety, and I believe that following God’s Word naturally equips us to deal with these problems. In my view, medication often addresses only the manifestation of anxiety—not the source—while the Word of God can reach and heal the root.
Thanksgiving can help deal with the root of certain types of anxiety, especially those caused by our environment, because it tackles comparison and removes bitterness from our hearts.
1Peter 5: 6-7 KJV
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Gratitude keeps us humble before God and helps us cast our cares on Him. There are attitudes that complement each other, and gratitude is one of them. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” He tells us to give thanks in everything.
How often should we give thanks? In everything.
A grateful attitude helps us cast our cares upon God, which in turn helps us deal with anxiety, bitterness, and other forms of negative energy.
Thanksgiving: The Power of Multiplication
The man with one talent didn’t multiply his talent, and he appeared ungrateful. As I said earlier, ingratitude steals multiplication. In a similar light, gratitude leads to multiplication—it stirs up motivation and brings enlightenment. From my perspective, being grateful can open your eyes to new opportunities.
Let’s look at how resources multiplied in the hands of Jesus.
Matthew 14:17 – 21 NIV
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
When the disciples came to declare the resources they had, they said, “Only five loaves of bread and two fish.” Ingratitude focuses on the word “only,” but Jesus didn’t dwell on their description. Instead, He gave thanks—and the resources multiplied. Thanksgiving led to multiplication, to the point where what they had became more than enough.
As humans, our instinctive response to insufficiency is often complaining or sadness. But Jesus gave thanks. We, too, can make a similar choice. We can choose to act differently from how we feel or how we perceive the situation. I’ve also started to be more intentional about expressing gratitude—not just to God, but to the people around me. This one practice has changed my attitude. I find myself more joyful and at peace.
I remember listening to a message by Bishop David Oyedepo a few years ago. Someone asked him the secret behind his great achievements in ministry, and he answered, “Thanksgiving.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand what he meant—but now, I do.
There’s also another miracle that Jesus did which amazes me…
John 11:38-44 NKJV
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Jesus didn’t get to Lazarus’ grave and start asking, “God, why?” or complaining. Instead, He stood at the grave and gave thanks. See Jesus practicing gratitude in the face of death—He is a perfect example of what Paul was talking about in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything, give thanks.” The will of God in all circumstances is thanksgiving. You cannot go wrong with thanksgiving.
That moment of thanksgiving stirred up the loud, commanding voice: “Lazarus, come forth!” Imagine if Jesus had joined the crowd in hopelessness—He wouldn’t have had the energy to raise His voice or give that life-giving instruction.
We need to understand that thanksgiving is vital in our walk with God.
Thanksgiving stirs up hope, while complaining or ingratitude gives birth to hopelessness.
~Oluwabunmi Akomolafe
What do you think is dead in your life today? You can start giving thanks for it and see how that situation responds to your thanksgiving. Thanksgiving changed the story at Lazarus’ burial—it sparked the instruction that brought him back to life. Giving thanks can raise what seems dead.
The will of God in every circumstance is thanksgiving. I personally believe that whatever is God’s will for our lives will always benefit us more than we can imagine. It brings far more good to us than we often realize. This attitude of gratitude transforms us and gives us a positive, healthy perspective. It helps us see hope where others see hopelessness.