To acknowledge life as a gift of God, one’s whole focus and concentration must be shifted from themselves to One outside themselves. Gratitude focuses one’s attention upward. Thankfulness is of preeminent importance. Disciples of Jesus as Lord bow the knee to their Sovereign Savior both in response to Who He is as well as what He has done. Appreciation is born out in worship.
“Worship” is the total response of the total person to our Lord Jesus. “In all things He shall receive the preeminence” (Col 1:18) who has “reconciled all things to Himself” (Col 1:20) that we should do “all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:17). Leaders then bear responsibility for encouraging disciples to focus their love for God through others (Mark 12:30-31) working toward excellence in their God-given lives. Encouraging gratitude encourages excellence. 
Distinction in one’s work as a marker of excellence born of gratitude for God’s distinctiveness. The Hebrew word for holy identifies both God’s Person (“Holy One,” Ps. 78.41; 89.13; 99.3, 9; 111.9) and God’s people (Lev 11.44-45; 19.2; 1 Pet 1.14-15) as inherently different in their nature. A historic summary of the distinction between other ancient cultures and Israel becomes apparent: Hebrews were to worship their God based on gratitude; other nations worshipped man-made gods for fear. Gratitude signals acknowledgement that I am responsible to someone else. The Hebraic-Christian practice of thanks is through prayer (Ps 75:1) in all things (Eph 5:20).
Some of humanities’ great thinkers agree on the importance of gratitude. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things he has not, but rejoices for those which he has,” (ascribed to the Greek philosopher Epictetus). “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others,” says the Roman historian Cicero. Seneca, a contemporary of Cicero said, “He who receives benefit with gratitude repays the first installment on his debt.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer—a man who could make this claim based on how he lived—wrote, “In an ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
Whether one believes in Jesus as Lord or not, what we may all agree on is the need for one day dedicated to the reminder that our lives should be filled with Thanksgiving. I offer my thanks for you all and wish for you a day filled with gratitude.
First written for social media 27 November 2024.
Dr. Mark Eckel is the Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University