As we approach this Thanksgiving week, many of you may be like me, and tend to get tangled up in the details. But as I sat quietly as my desk this morning,booting up my computer and listening to the sound of the rain gently tapping on the sidewalk, my eyes caught a glimpse of my Jesus Calling book. And today's reading was as follows:
"Thank me frequently as you journey through today. This practice makes it possible to pray without ceasing as the apostle Paul taught. If you are serious about learning to pray continually, the best approach is to Thank Me in every situation. These thankful prayers provide a solid foundation on which you can build all your other prayers. Moreover, a grateful attitude makes it easier for you to communicate with Me.
When your mind is occupied with thanking Me, you have no time for worrying or complaining. If you practice thankfulness consistently, negative thought patterns will gradually grow weaker and weaker. Draw near to Me with a grateful heart, and my presence will fill you with Joy and Peace."
Each month when we have a little How meeting, we have a printed bible verse and a rose for them to take home. This morning as I was combing the bible for verses on thanksgiving, giving thanks, and being thankful, I kept coming back tot he above reading.
For even in the midst of trials and suffering and painful times and times of joy, there are always things to be thankful for. We just need to make a cognitive effort to bring them to the front burner of our thoughts.
After reading this devotional, I thanked God for the hot water in my shower, and food in my kitchen and warm clothes on a cold day, and the blessing of a service man being available to fix my heater today. These are the little things that we so often take for granted, but I truly believe that that is just where God wants us to start. There are blessings all about us and also within us...but we have to
grab them and identify them and thank the one who is doling them out.
The following verses are some of my favorite ones and also ones that I am most familiar with. You too have your favorites. I encourage you to write them out and place them in your car and around the house as reminders that we do have much to be grateful for even in the midst of darkened
hovering clouds that won't seem to move along, but if we continue to make the effort to thank God, and thank him again and again, I do believe that that is God's powerful tool which help the joy and peace find their way through the gates our 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.
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
May God help all of us to recognize His presence, acknowledge His blessings, and be thankful for all he has done and is doing and will do.
Amen
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