Happy Thanksgiving to all of you here in the States.

Thanksgiving is a Pauline theme that we read about all over in the New Testament ever relevant for all of us on

any day of the week any day of the year but this national holiday is a fitting

time for question on Romans chapter 1 verse 21 and how Godward

Thanksgiving or a lack of Godward Thanksgiving shapes the trajectory of our whole lives.

How is the story of your life told by your Thanksgiving?

Or its absence.

This is a great question from a listener

who likely isn't celebrating Thanksgiving Day.

Today, James, because he lives in the beautiful rugged peninsula of Cornwall, England.

Here's his email.

Pastor John, thank you for your ministry and for this podcast.

I was wondering if you can explain the logic of the trajectory Paul talks about in Romans,

chapter one. Specifically, I want to better understand the role of God-centered

Thanksgiving in verse 21.

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him.

This failure to thank leads to a deeper and deeper sin bondage and greater and greater judgments from God on sinners.

So my question is negatively, how does thanklessness help us understand what sin is?

And positively, how does Thanksgiving shape the trajectory of our lives? This really is an astonishing text.

I thought it all over again I I mean I spent a lot of time just

soaking in the amazing statements of this text, especially because of its claim that every human being knows God.

They know his eternity, they know his power, they know his being creator of all, they know his deity, everyone knows God.

...