Be Thankful-1

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meaning while praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Colossians 4:3-4

 Be Thankful

What are you thankful for today? A good night’s rest. Family. Friends. A job. A roof over your head. There aresomanythingsto be thankful. Today I

am thankful for my father. My brother and I had a sweet reunion with him this week. Each trip I make to Oklahoma I wonder if I will see my dad again. My dad is 89 and I count him one of the many blessings I have in my life.

What if we accept a challenge this month to be thankful and to not complain? What would our day look like? What if everyday this month we take every negative thought captive to the Lord, and if we find we are complaining, we have to change the thought to a positive thankful thought. We could even have a jar and pay the jar a quarter for every time we complain. James 5:18 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Proverbs 17:22 says, “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” How can a person continue earnestly in prayer being vigilant expressing thanks. We need to have an attitude of gratitude. Chuck Swindoll said, “Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it. I believe the single most signficant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my success or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenges too great for me.” Father God, thank you desires us to bring our thoughts captive to you. You are alone worthy to be praised. Lord I ask that when I want to complain I will stop the negativity and acknowledge the blessings I have in my life. Today, I ask for an attitude of gratitude. Your turn, I am thankful for……….. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–think on these things.”   Philippians 4:8 “Count your blessings name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done, Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings see what God has done.”