START YOUR DAY WITH GRATITUDE

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF THANKSGIVING 1621-2021 (FROM THE CHRISTIAN POST)

 

The old harbor of Plymouth, England, where the Pilgrims departed aboard the Mayflower in 1620. | Dennis Lennox

Last year’s 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing to the New World was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the originally planned festivities were canceled or greatly scaled back. Then there were the American tourists who never came to Plymouth, England, where the ship departed on Sept. 16, 1620, with 102 passengers.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM THE CHRISTIAN POST

PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE

Most gracious and good Heavenly Father, You are the God Who forgives and takes our sins away from us, as far as the East is from the West.

Because, it is by Your Grace and the Stripes of Your Son, we were healed and brought into the Kingdom of Your marvelous Light. 

However You’re the great God Who calls us to remember Your great deeds. 

You called on Your people to remember the Passover, where death passed over the Israelites in Egypt. It was on the Passover of 30 AD when Jesus became the Passover Lamb so that spiritual death can pass over those of us who believe and are born again.

You called on Your people to remember Your parting of the Red Sea so they can cross from bondage on their way to the Promised Land.

You called on Joshua to set up the memorial of twelve stones at the Jordan when they did cross into the land of Canaan, so they will never forget Your mighty deeds in the desert.

The Lord Jesus, on the Night He was betrayed, took bread and wine and instituted the greatest remembrance of all times, when He delivered the greatest memorial of all time- the Lord’s Supper!

Father, at a time where we remember the greatest sacrifice of those who died in the cause of Freedom since 1775, from the war against redcoat tyranny to present day, help us to remember that for their families it is not a time for cookouts and picnics but a year-long vacuum of their missing loved one at the dinner table.

Lord, we thank these true heroes, indeed, for paying the ultimate price as the Scripture says “greater love hath no man that he gives his life”.....for not just a friend but for a people, some of whom are not worthy of being in the same room as those who died for them.

At this time, as well oh Lord, cause us to remember that You are not only with us until the end, as in Isaiah 41:10 but we are to stand firm and not compromise in our belief in Jesus and why He called us. 

Cause to do as Psalm 16:8 says  “I keep the Lord in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” 

Cause us to walk in the Spirit daily that we may recall at a moment’s notice today and always, all that You have taught us through Your Word and prayer.

Cause us therefore, to remember who we are; whose we are and where You saved and rescued us from, that we may remain grateful, humble and completely committed to You, all the days of our lives, now and always....and it is in the Mighty and Strong Name of Jesus we pray, amen. 

THINK ON THESE THINGS - WEDNESDAY

WHAT 'R' YOU GRATEFUL FOR TODAY?

Believe it or not, we are only weeks away from Thanksgiving again!! Can you believe that, my friends?! We have just come off a time of Harvest and such. Here in the Midwest, we are grateful as we watch the combines bring in the corn and soybean and other crops around us. But throughout this month, what are YOU grateful for? Writer friend Jenn Trumm Jones has some thoughts today, and wishes to share them with us:

JENN TRUMM JONES

As I was sitting here thinking about what to write about and all of the things in my life I have to be grateful for, something struck me. It is so easy to think of big things. It is easy to be thankful for big events, life changing experiences (the good ones). But how often do we stop and just thank God for the little things in our lives? The seemingly "meaningless" things that happen every single day of our lives?

So today, I am showing my gratitude for the little things in life. Some may seem silly to anyone other than me, but I am all right with that. 

Today I am grateful for:

My quiet time in the morning. Drinking coffee, reading, prayer. It is my time to recharge from the day before and prepare for the day ahead.

Coffee. Need I say more?

Vanilla Caramel coffee creamer - because it makes one great thing even better!
Area rugs. I have wood floors in the house and this time of year it gets a bit chilly walking through the house on a cool morning. 

To do lists. I used to hate them. But I am finding out they are a great tool to keep myself from going crazy trying to keep track of everything.

These are just a few things that I am grateful for today. Like I said, they may sound silly to many of you, but I am sure you all have your own little things in life that if you just stopped and thought about it - you would realize how much they mean to you. We have to stop and appreciate all of the little things that God blesses us with every single day, every passing moment. It helps us to appreciate His love for us even more when we recognize all of the little details in our lives that He cares about and tailors to our exact needs in the moment. 

There are of course, many other things and people in my life that I am grateful for, and I will get to those later. I am sure over the next 30 days I will realize just how much I have to be grateful for - things that I have yet to fully realize and recognize. But for now, I am going to focus on those little things. Those little details that He has created just for my pleasure this morning. 

(Graphic by Google Images)