Consider what the author means by “being watchful” – what are we looking for? Ask the Lord to reveal His presence in your life today; journal your experience.
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Tag: thanksgiving
Grateful Living
All too often, our words and actions promote selfish desires rather than honor the name of Jesus. How could thanking God throughout the day become a reminder of whom we serve?
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Full Time Gratitude
Life can be overwhelming at times. We may feel the need to throw our hands up at God and beg for things to change. What difference does it make to pray and petition with or without thanksgiving?
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Giving with Thanks
One way to praise is through giving of our time and talents. What personal experience have you had with thankfulness promoting generosity?
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Discouragement Dilemma
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:11
Longest. Week. Ever.
A string of health problems, financial hiccups, and relational drama left me depleted physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was finally Friday morning and the sun couldn’t rise fast enough. If only all the issues from the week would resolve with the ending of the day.
Feeling discouraged is hard. It zaps our spirit of hope, takes our eyes off the many blessings around us, and prevents bold spiritual bravery. Despite our best efforts to focus on what is going right, we cannot ignore all that is going wrong.
David experienced a similar struggle in Psalm 42:
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”… 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? …
6 My soul is downcast within me;
He, too, felt discouraged by his situation, perhaps abandoned by God, longing for the peace of His presence. His mind is a battlefield where his flesh is overwhelmed by dire circumstances while his spirit longs to remain in the sweet spot of intimacy with God by remembering His goodness.
6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
He recalls the time God opened the Jordan River for the Israelites to cross, saving them from the Egyptians. He remembers their miraculous victory over the massive Amorite army of Hermon. He recollects the sovereign Law of the Lord given at Mount Mizar as well.
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
David understands that his circumstances do not alter the faithfulness of the Lord. He directs his emotions to be set in line with the truth of an unchanging God in a world of shifting certainty.
After reading Psalm 42, I opened my journal to process the events of the week. I typically flip to the last page, but this time, the first page caught my attention: Prayers for 2017. On the first of the year, I put down the ways I hoped the Lord would move in my life this year. Eleven months later, He had done just that.
I needed the reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness in my life that morning; to recall all He has done and is doing. Suddenly, the weight of my discouragement became lighter as I realized nothing is too difficult for the God of the Universe to bring me through.
Lord, thank you for reminding me of Your endless faithfulness. Because I am Your Child, I can rest in the promises of the past to be fulfilled in the future. Give me the wisdom to recognize emotional responses and redirect them to the truth of Your Word. Amen
Journalling is a great way to document the Lord’s faithfulness as well as see His hand in our lives through time. It can also enhance gratitude when we find little to be thankful for. Thirty Days of Thanksgiving Journal was written for that exact purpose.
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Day 7
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
Psalm 118:21
The Lord is our salvation, delivering us from the
penalty of sin. Express your gratitude for specific
instances of redemption in your life.
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Day 6
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with
thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an
ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
Psalm 69:30-31
Although a traditional Jewish method of pleasing the
Lord was through animal sacrifice, King David
suggests God desires relationship more than ritual.
Journal the ways the Lord is requesting more of your
heart for worship rather than time for works.
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Day 5
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:56-57
Jesus Christ is powerful and victorious! Thank Him for specific sins He has delivered you from and how your life has been changed.
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Day 4
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
Our world today is ruled by chaos and destruction. Thankfully, our God is one of order and the unshakable kingdom of Heaven awaits us as believers. What do you look forward to most?
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Day 3
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1
God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Acknowledging the goodness of God in our lives ushers in thankfulness – what is something good the Lord has done for which you are thankful?
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