Christians, or followers of Jesus Christ, are told to be grateful and thankful all the time, under all circumstances. This does not mean that being a Christian would automatically translate to giving up our emotions and thinking ability. It is more of the polar opposite -- we gain a newfound appreciation of the free will given by God to the human construct, and with it, we are not automatons. Rather, we can make the willful choice to be thankful and grateful in all situations, no matter what life throws at us. After all, there is always something to learn in every situation, or simply to experience it so that we might even be able to minister to someone else who is hurting in the same situation some time down the road. The Bible is full of reminders from God about being thankful and grateful, and it would be great to go through some of them in view of this Thanksgiving Day.

Bible Verses on Gratitude
Just in case you find it difficult to express gratitude to God because of the situation that you are in life, or the painful experiences that you have gone through, perhaps some of these golden nuggets might be able to help lift your spirit man.

Psalm 50:23 - The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
Psalms 107:1 - O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
Psalms 118:24 - This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalms 136:1 - O give thanks to the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
Lamentations 3:23 - They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
John 11:41 - Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
Ephesians 1:16 - Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Ephesians 5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Colossians 3:15 - And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body; and be you thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Hebrews 12:28 - Why we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no fickleness, neither shadow of turning.

Bible Verses on Thankfulness
Psalm 9:1 - I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
Jeremiah 30:19 - From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.
2 Corinthians 4:15 - All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
2 Chronicles 5:13 - The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud,
2 Corinthians 9:11 - You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Colossians 3:16-17 - Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We pray that you would certainly have some of these verses in mind this Thanksgiving. Commit them to memory if you must. Remember, the Word of the LORD never returns empty handed, so plant these "seeds" today.