November is just around the corner, and Thanksgiving is not far away. Instead of celebrating a day of Thanksgiving this year, how about we celebrate a whole season of thankfulness? Starting this Friday, November 1st, let’s begin “30 Days of Gratitude!” Join me in finding a blessing each day and giving God the glory with our heartfelt gratitude.
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So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 – NIV
On this Monday morning, are you counting your blessings or cataloging your complaints? Is your heart soaring with praise or mired in deep discontent? Are you replaying your laundry list of losses or are you giving praise for the gift of a new day?
It all comes down to perspective.
We all have troubles. Everybody has something. When our eyes rest on our troubles, our hearts sink. We become mired in the pain. We are weighed down with worry. We ache over the losses.
“It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.” Things spiral from bad to worse when our eyes only focus on the trials of this life.
There is a way to stop the downward spiral. There is a way to shift our focus. Give thanks. Yes, that’s it. Quite simply, start giving thanks. Thank Him, not just for the good stuff, but for the hard stuff too. Thank Him for the sunshine. Thank Him for walking with you in the sorrow. Thank Him for the lessons learned in the struggle. Thank Him for every day, every hour, every moment, every breath.
Begin every new day with your eyes fixed on Jesus. Stare at Him instead of your problems. Be thankful for His Presence beside you. Be comforted that He never leaves your side.
For I am blessed, and so are you. We are blessed again and again, every day, in all manner of ways.
We must look for the blessings. We must savor them. You and I deserve nothing. We are worthy of nothing, and yet, God chooses to love us. He chooses to save us from a life of sin and shame through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Through all of life’s ups and downs, we must give God the glory. We must praise Him, lifting up continual prayers of adoration. We must honor Him by living lives full of compassion, kindness and generosity. We must tame our tongues and humble our hearts. On the easy days and the hard ones, we must always be thankful.
Thankfulness can shift our perspective, bathing us in sunshine, even on the darkest of days.
Friends, let’s begin this new day by giving thanks. Once started, let’s you and I keep that attitude of gratitude flowing freely!
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Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
Hebrews 12:28 – NIV
PRAYER
O God of Glory and Majesty, we give You thanks. We praise You for Your blessings upon us. We delight in Your love for us. We rejoice in Your faithfulness, Your mercy, Your saving Grace. O God, we give You all the glory for the good things of this life and we are so grateful that You walk the hard roads of our earthly journeys by our side. Most of all, we thank You for Jesus. Lord, may we live lives that glorify You.
Faith Beyond Sight 