November 26, 2025 • 10 mins
In this special Thanksgiving episode of My God & My Neighbor, we pause our study of Philippians to reflect on the blessings God gives every day. Kerry Duke shares Scriptures on gratitude, reads from the original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation, and reminds us why thankfulness is far more than a holiday tradition—it’s a Christian way of life. Whether this season brings joy or hardship, this episode encourages a heart grounded in God’s goodness, His mercy, and His indescribable gift of salvation.
Read about this subject
- Scripture: Acts 17:25, James 1:17, Matthew 5:45, Philippians 4:6–7, 2 Corinthians 9:15
- "Everyday is a Day of Thanksgiving"
- “Season of Thanksgiving”
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, I’m Kerry Duke, host of My Godand My Neighbor podcast from Tennessee
Bible College, where we see the Bibleas not just another book, but the Book.
Join us in a study of the inspiredWord to strengthen your faith and to
share what you've learned with others.
Today we're taking a pause in ourstudy of the book of Philippians.
(00:21):
The holidays are approaching, and thingsare slowing down—somewhat at least.
I want to spend our time todaylooking at some special verses
on the thought of being thankful.
I also want to read some thingsI have saved over the years
that I hope you'll enjoy.
Before we get started, I need to mentionthat we'll be taking a break in the
next episode to do a special study ofa controversial subject that needs to
(00:43):
be addressed, especially during theholidays, by no means only at this time
of the year, but especially during theholidays because it tends to be more
of a problem, even among Christians.
That’s why we need some straightforwardBible guidance on this subject.
We’ll say more about thatas the time approaches.
But today, let's thinkabout being thankful to God.
Let me stress those words: we should be thankful to God. (01:05):
undefined
I wonder if people even have that inmind when they talk about Thanksgiving.
Millions of people will ask thequestion, "What are some things you're
most thankful about this year?” Andwe make lists. Children and adults say
they’re thankful for their health, theirparents, their children, their friends,
(01:29):
their food, their country, their jobs,their church family and other things.
That’s a good thing.
The world needs more grateful people.
We have too many unthankful,spoiled people as it is.
It’s refreshing to go to arestaurant and hear people say
“Thank you” instead of complaining.
It’s encouraging to hear childrensay “Thank you” when you help them.
(01:50):
So the idea of having a holiday to bethankful is a good thing for the nation.
This time of the year was set asidein 1863 as a national holiday.
When we hear the word “holiday”today, we usually think about eating
as much as we can with fun and gamesand getting together with family.
It's interesting to look at thatoriginal proclamation in 1863.
(02:14):
This short statementmentions God five times.
Here’s the original intention of thisnational day of thanksgiving in the
Thanksgiving Proclamation of October 3
(02:35):
1863:
“No human counsel hath devisednor hath any mortal hand
worked out these great things.
They are the gracious gifts of theMost High God, who, while dealing
with us in anger for our sins,hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and properthat they should be solemnly,
(02:57):
reverently and gratefully acknowledgedas with one heart and one voice
by the whole American People.
I do therefore invite my fellow citizensin every part of the United States,
and also those who are at sea and thosewho are sojourning in foreign lands,
to set apart and observe the lastThursday of November next, as a day of
(03:19):
Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficentFather who dwelleth in the Heavens.
And I recommend to them that whileoffering up the ascriptions justly due
to Him for such singular deliverancesand blessings, they do also, with humble
penitence for our national perversenessand disobedience, commend to His tender
(03:40):
care all those who have become widows,orphans, mourners or sufferers in the
lamentable civil strife in which weare unavoidably engaged, and fervently
implore the interposition of theAlmighty Hand to heal the wounds of
the nation and to restore it as soonas may be consistent with the Divine
(04:01):
purposes to the full enjoyment ofpeace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.”
You're probably thinking about thedate of this proclamation: 1863.
We were in the midst of a civil war.
Americans were killing eachother by the thousands.
But in spite of all that bloodshed andthe pain that it caused, there was a
(04:22):
recognition of the Creator as the Onewho bestows all good things to mankind.
There was a recognition that, as Paulsaid in his famous sermon in Athens
in Acts 17:25, “He gives to all life,breath, and all things.” There was a
common belief, as James wrote in James1:17, that “Every good gift and every
(04:45):
perfect gift is from above, and comes downfrom the Father of lights.” There was an
acknowledgement that God “makes His sunrise on the evil and on the good, and
sends rain on the just and on the unjust”according to the words of our Savior in
the Sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:45.
(05:06):
It's a good thing to bethankful to human beings.
We should be grateful to ourparents and grandparents.
We should be thankful for ourfirefighters and rescue squads.
We should appreciate our militaryand law-enforcement personnel.
But more than anything we needto be thankful to God Almighty.
If it were not for His gracious hand,none of these people could even breathe.
(05:30):
I'm certainly not discouraging saying“Thank you” to any of these people.
I am saying that we should be evenmore thankful, many times more
thankful, to the God who giveslife, breath, and all things.
It's a good thing to say thankyou to each other as human beings;
it's better to be thankful to God.
(05:50):
We should be both.
If we could be thankful as a nation in1863 in the midst of a horrible war, we
should find it easy to be thankful in theprosperous land in which we live today.
Most of us eat very well.
We don't wake up to the soundof bombs and sirens every day
like many of the world do.
(06:11):
We have more comforts and conveniencesand pleasures than previous generations
could have possibly imagined.
And yet complaining isa national epidemic.
The way that many people whineand complain in this country,
you would think they woulddemand another national holiday.
A national complaining day.
(06:32):
Gratitude is not just a day.
Any day, not just Thanksgiving day.
Thanksgiving is a frame of mind.
It is an attitude.
And that mindset can andshould be there every day.
Thanksgiving is a habit.
It's not just a habit like whichfoot you put a sock on first.
(06:52):
But it is a pattern of our lives.
The more we think about what God hasdone for us and is doing for us the
more grateful we are and the moreoften we thank him in our prayers.
Our image of Thanksgivingand our appreciation of it
have changed over the years.
We tend to see Thanksgiving as aperfect time of rest and relaxation,
(07:14):
a time where we can get togetheras families and enjoy the day.
And if you can have a Thanksgivinglike that, then that's just one
more thing to be thankful for.
But the reality is that many peoplehave a hard time enjoying the holidays.
Why?
Because of sickness and pain.
Because of conflict in the family.
Because death has leftbehind a load of grief.
(07:37):
There are some of you that maynot enjoy the holidays like
others do or like you used to.
You may even dreadseeing the holidays come.
But regardless of the shape you're in,you have things to be thankful to God for.
And if you're a Christian, regardlessof the troubles that sometimes spoil
holidays, you always have more to bethankful for than any people on the
(08:01):
face of the Earth, because you canalways be thankful for being a child
of God, having the forgiveness ofyour sins, and having the hope and
promise of everlasting life in heaven.
No matter what happens in this life,nothing can take that joy away from you.
I said that we were taking a pausefrom the book of Philippians, but there
is one passage I want to highlight.
(08:23):
It's Philippians four verses 6 and 7:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everythingby prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be madeknown to God; and the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guardyour hearts and minds through Christ
(08:47):
Jesus.” The way to make it through thehardships of life is to trust God and
remember the good things He gives youand the better things He promises you.
And, what we need to be thankfulfor as Christians above and beyond
anything else is salvation from sin.
Here is how Paul put it in IICorinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God
(09:11):
for His indescribable gift!” Wouldn’tit be great if those words were posted
throughout the land on this and every day?
And speaking of being thankful, Iwant to say thank you to those of
you who listen to this podcast.
There's no way I can put into words howmuch it means to me to know that it’s
(09:31):
helping you live the Christian life.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, and may theLord bless and keep you in all your ways.
Thank you for listeningto My God and My Neighbor.
Stay connected with our podcast on ourwebsite and on Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
or wherever fine podcasts are distributed.
Tennessee Bible College, providingChristian education since 1975
(09:54):
in Cookeville, Tennessee, offersundergraduate and graduate programs.
Study at your level.
Aim higher and get in touch with us today.
Hi, I’m Kerry Duke, host of My Godand My Neighbor podcast from Tennessee
Bible College, where we see the Bibleas not just another book, but the Book.
Join us in a study of the inspiredWord to strengthen your faith and to
share what you've learned with others.
Today we're taking a pause in ourstudy of the book of Philippians.
(00:21):
The holidays are approaching, and thingsare slowing down—somewhat at least.
I want to spend our time todaylooking at some special verses
on the thought of being thankful.
I also want to read some thingsI have saved over the years
that I hope you'll enjoy.
Before we get started, I need to mentionthat we'll be taking a break in the
next episode to do a special study ofa controversial subject that needs to
(00:43):
be addressed, especially during theholidays, by no means only at this time
of the year, but especially during theholidays because it tends to be more
of a problem, even among Christians.
That’s why we need some straightforwardBible guidance on this subject.
We’ll say more about thatas the time approaches.
But today, let's thinkabout being thankful to God.
Let me stress those words: we should be thankful to God. (01:05):
undefined
I wonder if people even have that inmind when they talk about Thanksgiving.
Millions of people will ask thequestion, "What are some things you're
most thankful about this year?” Andwe make lists. Children and adults say
they’re thankful for their health, theirparents, their children, their friends,
(01:29):
their food, their country, their jobs,their church family and other things.
That’s a good thing.
The world needs more grateful people.
We have too many unthankful,spoiled people as it is.
It’s refreshing to go to arestaurant and hear people say
“Thank you” instead of complaining.
It’s encouraging to hear childrensay “Thank you” when you help them.
(01:50):
So the idea of having a holiday to bethankful is a good thing for the nation.
This time of the year was set asidein 1863 as a national holiday.
When we hear the word “holiday”today, we usually think about eating
as much as we can with fun and gamesand getting together with family.
It's interesting to look at thatoriginal proclamation in 1863.
(02:14):
This short statementmentions God five times.
Here’s the original intention of thisnational day of thanksgiving in the
Thanksgiving Proclamation of October 3
(02:35):
1863:
“No human counsel hath devisednor hath any mortal hand
worked out these great things.
They are the gracious gifts of theMost High God, who, while dealing
with us in anger for our sins,hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and properthat they should be solemnly,
(02:57):
reverently and gratefully acknowledgedas with one heart and one voice
by the whole American People.
I do therefore invite my fellow citizensin every part of the United States,
and also those who are at sea and thosewho are sojourning in foreign lands,
to set apart and observe the lastThursday of November next, as a day of
(03:19):
Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficentFather who dwelleth in the Heavens.
And I recommend to them that whileoffering up the ascriptions justly due
to Him for such singular deliverancesand blessings, they do also, with humble
penitence for our national perversenessand disobedience, commend to His tender
(03:40):
care all those who have become widows,orphans, mourners or sufferers in the
lamentable civil strife in which weare unavoidably engaged, and fervently
implore the interposition of theAlmighty Hand to heal the wounds of
the nation and to restore it as soonas may be consistent with the Divine
(04:01):
purposes to the full enjoyment ofpeace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.”
You're probably thinking about thedate of this proclamation: 1863.
We were in the midst of a civil war.
Americans were killing eachother by the thousands.
But in spite of all that bloodshed andthe pain that it caused, there was a
(04:22):
recognition of the Creator as the Onewho bestows all good things to mankind.
There was a recognition that, as Paulsaid in his famous sermon in Athens
in Acts 17:25, “He gives to all life,breath, and all things.” There was a
common belief, as James wrote in James1:17, that “Every good gift and every
(04:45):
perfect gift is from above, and comes downfrom the Father of lights.” There was an
acknowledgement that God “makes His sunrise on the evil and on the good, and
sends rain on the just and on the unjust”according to the words of our Savior in
the Sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:45.
(05:06):
It's a good thing to bethankful to human beings.
We should be grateful to ourparents and grandparents.
We should be thankful for ourfirefighters and rescue squads.
We should appreciate our militaryand law-enforcement personnel.
But more than anything we needto be thankful to God Almighty.
If it were not for His gracious hand,none of these people could even breathe.
(05:30):
I'm certainly not discouraging saying“Thank you” to any of these people.
I am saying that we should be evenmore thankful, many times more
thankful, to the God who giveslife, breath, and all things.
It's a good thing to say thankyou to each other as human beings;
it's better to be thankful to God.
(05:50):
We should be both.
If we could be thankful as a nation in1863 in the midst of a horrible war, we
should find it easy to be thankful in theprosperous land in which we live today.
Most of us eat very well.
We don't wake up to the soundof bombs and sirens every day
like many of the world do.
(06:11):
We have more comforts and conveniencesand pleasures than previous generations
could have possibly imagined.
And yet complaining isa national epidemic.
The way that many people whineand complain in this country,
you would think they woulddemand another national holiday.
A national complaining day.
(06:32):
Gratitude is not just a day.
Any day, not just Thanksgiving day.
Thanksgiving is a frame of mind.
It is an attitude.
And that mindset can andshould be there every day.
Thanksgiving is a habit.
It's not just a habit like whichfoot you put a sock on first.
(06:52):
But it is a pattern of our lives.
The more we think about what God hasdone for us and is doing for us the
more grateful we are and the moreoften we thank him in our prayers.
Our image of Thanksgivingand our appreciation of it
have changed over the years.
We tend to see Thanksgiving as aperfect time of rest and relaxation,
(07:14):
a time where we can get togetheras families and enjoy the day.
And if you can have a Thanksgivinglike that, then that's just one
more thing to be thankful for.
But the reality is that many peoplehave a hard time enjoying the holidays.
Why?
Because of sickness and pain.
Because of conflict in the family.
Because death has leftbehind a load of grief.
(07:37):
There are some of you that maynot enjoy the holidays like
others do or like you used to.
You may even dreadseeing the holidays come.
But regardless of the shape you're in,you have things to be thankful to God for.
And if you're a Christian, regardlessof the troubles that sometimes spoil
holidays, you always have more to bethankful for than any people on the
(08:01):
face of the Earth, because you canalways be thankful for being a child
of God, having the forgiveness ofyour sins, and having the hope and
promise of everlasting life in heaven.
No matter what happens in this life,nothing can take that joy away from you.
I said that we were taking a pausefrom the book of Philippians, but there
is one passage I want to highlight.
(08:23):
It's Philippians four verses 6 and 7:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everythingby prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be madeknown to God; and the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guardyour hearts and minds through Christ
(08:47):
Jesus.” The way to make it through thehardships of life is to trust God and
remember the good things He gives youand the better things He promises you.
And, what we need to be thankfulfor as Christians above and beyond
anything else is salvation from sin.
Here is how Paul put it in IICorinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God
(09:11):
for His indescribable gift!” Wouldn’tit be great if those words were posted
throughout the land on this and every day?
And speaking of being thankful, Iwant to say thank you to those of
you who listen to this podcast.
There's no way I can put into words howmuch it means to me to know that it’s
(09:31):
helping you live the Christian life.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, and may theLord bless and keep you in all your ways.
Thank you for listeningto My God and My Neighbor.
Stay connected with our podcast on ourwebsite and on Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
or wherever fine podcasts are distributed.
Tennessee Bible College, providingChristian education since 1975
(09:54):
in Cookeville, Tennessee, offersundergraduate and graduate programs.
Study at your level.
Aim higher and get in touch with us today.
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