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Learn the lesson of thanksgiving. It is due to God, it is due to ourselves. Thanksgiving for the past makes us trustful in the present and hopeful for the future. What He has done is the pledge of what He will do.
~A. C. A. HALL
Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.
~Alexander Maclaren
One thing is indisputable: the chronic mood of looking longingly at what we have not, or thankfully at what we have, realizes two very different types of character. And we certainly can encourage the one or the other.
~Lucy C. Smith
There is more joy in Jesus in twenty-four hours than there is in the world in 365 days. I have tried them both.
~R. A. Torrey
Then let thy life through all its ways
One long thanksgiving be,
Its theme of joy, its song of praise,
"Christ died, and rose for me."
~J. B. S. Monsell
Our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.
~Psalm 33:21
This way of seeing our Father in everything makes life one long thanksgiving and gives a rest of heart, and, more than that, a gayety of spirit, that is unspeakable...If the will of God is our will, and if He always has His way, then we always have our way also...He who sides with God cannot fail to win in every encounter; and, whether the result shall be joy or sorrow, failure or success, death or life, we may, under all circumstances, join in the Apostle's shout of victory, "Thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ!"
~H. W. Smith
Those who love God are encompassed with gladness on every side, because in every passing moment they see and feel a Father's love, and nothing of this world can take it away or lessen it.
~H.L. Sidney Lear
Why should we go to heaven weeping, as if we were like to fall down through the earth for sorrow? If God were dead (if I may speak so, with reverence of Him who liveth for ever and ever,) we might have cause to look like dead folks; but "the Lord liveth, and blessed be the Rock of our salvation." None have right to joy but we; for joy is sown for us, and an ill summer or harvest will not spill the crop.
~Samuel Rutherford
Joy is not the result of getting all the gifts that I want. It's not the result of getting all the gifts that I think that I need. Joy comes from embracing God's perspective.
~Nancy Leigh DeMoss
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Thanksgiving is just around the corner: a holiday minimized by the world, crammed into the pre-Christmas whirlwind like an half-apologetic, almost forgotten nod to tradition. Gratitude is so out of style these days that many people don't celebrate Thanksgiving at all -- and all they have left is "Turkey Day."
But those of us who know Jesus have so much to be thankful for -- and we know the One who has given us "every good and perfect gift"! Thanksgiving is both a privilege and a command, and there's something extra special about publicly praising God together.
So here's a challenge to each of you: will you join me in purposefully, publicly thanking God for specific blessings for these two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving day? It will help you build habits of intentionally counting your blessings, and we'll all be encouraged as we're reminded of the great goodness of our Father.
The idea is to not only personally thank God for these Great Things, but to tell others and proclaim what God has done. This can be done online through daily blog posts, podcasts, group emails, Facebook status messages, and so on. Offline, it's a great discussion starter for family devotions or around the supper table. Consider sharing a testimony of thankfulness with other believers during fellowship times, write a note or pick up the phone, or strike up a conversation with anyone God brings your way. Just ask, "What are you thanking God for this Thanksgiving?"
"Give Him the glory,
GREAT THINGS He hath done!"
With so many blessings, it can be tough to know where to start. It's most important to share whatever God brings to your attention in a given day, but here's a list of daily ideas that may be helpful:
Nov. 08 - G (blessings starting with this letter)
Nov. 09 - R ( " )
Nov. 10 - Scriptures that have been a special blessing this year
Nov. 11 - E
Nov. 12 - A
Nov. 13 - Answered prayers and miracles
Nov. 14 - T
Nov. 15 - H
Nov. 16 - Difficult experiences you're now thankful for
Nov. 17 - I
Nov. 18 - N
Nov. 19 - Special lessons God has taught you this year
Nov. 20 - G
Nov. 21 - S
Nov. 22 - Thanksgiving Day!
Feel free to use these graphics in your postings:
[larger image from the beginning of this post]
If you'd like to post this announcement in your own blog or forward it via email, please do! The more that join in, the better (2 Cor. 4:15). :-D Leave a note here if you are participating, so we can all praise the Lord together!
"O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!"
~Psalm 34:3~
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