Special Gratitude Edition

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.” – Psalm 95:1-7a

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“A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer’s trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer’s heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord.” – John MacArthur

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“Every morning when I open my eyes, the very first thing I do is start praying. First, I ask my Father for forgiveness of all my sins, and there are plenty of those. The next thing I do is thank Him for all the blessings He continues to bless me with. Every day, there is a long list of all the blessings He sent my way just the day before. When I start listing them one by one, I just keep realizing more and more how each and every day He sends so many little and some really big miracles my way. Even in the difficult or challenging moments, there are always reasons to be grateful and thankful. As I think of losing my mom, what God has done is remind me of all the sweet times we’ve shared over the past 73 years and just how blessed I was to call her ‘mom.’ I’m also reminded of the joy she brought to me and my siblings and my children on special holidays and sometimes just on ordinary days…She was intentional in her thoughts and actions and was always kind and caring towards everyone she encountered. When I think of the one most impactful thing she taught me, it was to always take care of those who were hurting or less fortunate than me. Her best friend all through high school was also named Janice (Christy’s mom was named Jan). Janice had mental and physical challenges, and none of the other kids would have anything to do with her. My mom was her dearest friend, and they stayed in touch with handwritten letters until Janice passed away. They are now both celebrating together in Heaven, and for that I am thankful and grateful.” – Christy S.

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“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” – Colossians 2:6-7

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“Some days I wake up, and my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness for being alive. It seems so simple and so expected that we should sleep each night and awaken the next day, but lately I am learning that the gift of life itself is a privilege and not a right. I am grateful that God is continuing to allow me to see each day and praying that I can honor Him by being wise with the time given to me. This is what gratitude and thanksgiving look like lately to me.” – Chinwe E.

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“See that you do not forget what you were before, lest you take for granted that grace and mercy you received from God and forget to express your gratitude each day.” – Martin Luther

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“God, I am grateful for You and how You use Your people in my struggles (a friend with the idea about spending one hour with You daily to allow focused time with You and another friend’s reminder of a gratitude journal). I have been in a spiritual funk, and it is because I have not spent time with You. Thanks for these moments, and thanks for the much needed rain You have sent today.” - JKS