Children are taught that many words have an opposite: light and dark, hungry and satisfied, raw and cooked. But did you know, according to the Bible, “thanksgiving” has more than one opposite? That’s because thanksgiving is a multilayered concept. It involves a verbal response of gratitude for God’s work in the world, a response which not only glorifies him but also changes us.

There are many ways to meditate on Thanksgiving. This article aims to do so by contrasting it with three opposites.

1. Coarse Speech

Our first contrast comes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. As he urges them to live new lives of purity and holiness in Christ, he tells them, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4).

The contrast is a straightforward comparison between two types of speech (for a similar contrast, see James 3:9-10). One type hints at sin, obscures true wisdom, and revels in mockery. It is therefore inappropriate for someone God has redeemed, adopted, and given a new identity in Christ.

As part of Christ’s body, the type of speech that is appropriate to come out of our mouths is a new type that reflects our new condition and our new position relative to God. Whereas once we were his enemies, and dead in our sins, now we have life in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-8) and a breathtaking constellation of spiritual blessings from him (Ephesians 1:3-14). To acknowledge our new status is to offer thanksgiving to God.

2. Asceticism

This second contrast requires some explanation. Asceticism refers to the practice of denying bodily comforts (or even necessities) for spiritual gain. As the opposite of worldly self-indulgence, it can seem quite virtuous. The danger, however, comes when someone begins to trust in such bodily self-denial for salvation, either from the final judgment or from present sin. Such misplaced trust simply turns asceticism into another gospel of works.

In his communication with Timothy, Paul harshly condemned this error, once again contrasting it with thanksgiving. He warned against the “teachings of demons” communicated by “liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). What was this diabolical teaching? These liars “forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth,” he explained. “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:3-5).

In other words, ascetic practices prevent someone from enjoying good things God created to be enjoyed. And because these people aren’t enjoying these things, they can’t give thanks to God for them. Here is a scriptural warrant to thank God for the sweet potato casserole, turkey stuffing, cheddar bacon rolls, or whatever else you consumed this Thursday.

God does not want us to worship him by punishing ourselves. He wants us to worship him by thanking him for the rich bounty he has poured out on us. Thus, God says through the psalmist, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” (Psalm 50:23).

But, lest this principle should tend toward self-indulgence, Paul provides a reason in verse 5 that serves as a limitation. The food is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” In other words, you aren’t just eating. You are eating holy food in the presence of God. What does it mean that food is made holy by the word of God? I think Paul has in mind Jesus’s teaching that all foods are clean (Mark 7:18-19). What does it mean that food is made holy by prayer? It means that we can eat in good conscience when we give thanks to God for it, so that, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,” we “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). One way to do this is to offer a prayer of thanks before every meal.

3. Anxiety

A third contrast is between thanksgiving and anxiety. Once again, we turn to famous verses of Paul, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Did you notice, tucked among multiple words for petition, that such prayers are to be offered “with thanksgiving”? Too often we — this author included — overlook this phrase when making our requests to God. Yet our thanksgiving is part of God’s plan to bring us all-surpassing peace amid anxiety-inducing circumstances.

When Jesus warned against anxiety, he counseled his hearers to observe God’s loving hand of providence in the natural world around them.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26).

According to Jesus, we calm our anxiety by reflecting on God’s fatherly character and reasoning from what we observe that he will surely care for us too.

In Philippians, Paul is saying the same thing. The thanksgiving Paul prescribes turns our attention from our own circumstances to God’s blessing, his works, and (behind that) his character. When we reflect on that, and especially on the fact that “the Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5), it produces peace in us, guarding our hearts and minds.

These three opposites serve to show multiple layers of thanksgiving. On one level, it involves verbal recognition of God’s good gifts. On another level, it involves personal participation in God’s good gifts. And on an even deeper level, it provokes in us reflections that change us. All three give glory to God. Let all three be true of us this Thanksgiving season.