The nineteenth century English writer Harriett Martineau was an atheist. One day she was walking with a friend and enjoying the glories of a beautiful fall morning when suddenly she burst out, "Oh, I'm so grateful!"

Her Christian friend replied, "Grateful to whom, my dear?"

If we are going to say "thank you," then logically we say "thank you" to somebody. Pausing to express gratitude to a great and mighty God is the reminder of this national holiday. But Thanksgiving is more than a holiday for the grateful believer -- it's a way of life. Bo Baker said, "Thanksgiving is grace dressed in unselfishness, gratitude spelled out in personal concern and character showing its colors like the lovely leaves of fall."

Thanksgiving is an attitude, a natural part of Christian character. Let's look at one short verse of Scripture, 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "... in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

First, thanksgiving is appropriate in every occasion. "Give thanks" is a command, an imperative. Giving thanks is not an option for the serious Christian. Also, this command is present tense, so the instruction is to keep on giving thanks.

Give thanks in everything .... in all circumstances. Paul is not saying give thanks for everything, but in connection with everything that happens. In every circumstance, no matter what or where, you can still thank God. That's God's imperative to the growing Christian. Paul is speaking here of a life marked by thanksgiving.

Not everything that happens to us is good, but God uses everything that happens to work for our good.

Two teachers met back on campus during homecoming after having not seen each other for many years. Their conversation went something like this:

The first lady said to her friend, "I have gotten married since we last met."

The second lady replied, "Oh, that's good."

The first responded, "Well, I don't know about that. My husband is twice as old as I am."

The second replied, "Oh, that's bad."

The first responded, "Well, I don't know about that. He's worth a million dollars."

The second replied, "Oh, that's good."

The first said, "Well, I don't know about that. He won't give me a cent."

The second responded, "Oh, that's bad."

The first said, "Well, I don't know about that. He did build me a $200,000 house."

The second said, "Oh, that's good."

The first said, "Well, I don't know about that. It burned down last week."

The second one said, "Oh, that's bad."

The first said, "Well, I don't know about that -- he was in it."

Sometimes we don't know whether something is good or bad, but we can be thankful God is working for our good in everything.

Not only is thanksgiving appropriate in every occasion, but also: thanksgiving should abound naturally in the life of every growing Christian. Thanksgiving is the natural response to the grace and goodness of a great and wonderful God who cares and provides. Thanksgiving should overflow from the life of the Christian. Listen to these appeals for a grateful heart: