Rebecca Currington - Everyday Gratitude

2013 Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Writing and compilation by Rebecca Currington in association with Snapdragon GroupSM Editorial Services.

Print ISBN 978-1-63609-042-9

Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63609-227-0

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Enter into [Gods] gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

P SALM 100:4 KJV

I will praise God in a song and will honor him by giving thanks.

P SALM 69:30 NCV

Around the world, people worship many gods. Some worship gods of wood and stone. Some worship fire or water, some success, and others worship money and possessions. How sad it is that these objects of worship cannot breathe or speak or hear prayers; they arent able to help when trouble looms and threatens to overwhelm. But we worship a living God, the Creator of all things. Though just and holy, our God is also loving and tenderhearted. He breathes and speaks and hears. Of all the people on planet earth, those who worship the name of the Lord should be thankful, for He is alive! He cares when we are hurting; He has the power and the willingness to help us in our time of need.

No book on earth could contain all of Gods goodness. But these humble pages are dedicated to thankfulness, for all things great and small, in the highs of life as well as in the valleys. In lifes momentous moments and the ordinary moments we live each and every day. We hope your heart will swell with thankfulness and joy as you read these pages, for our God is a great God. He is good and generous and kind. As you read, be sure to keep a pen and paper nearby to record your personal thoughts of thanks.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the L ORD looks at the heart.

1 S AMUEL 16:7 NKJV

No one likes to be reduced to a number. But in our world, thats exactly what happens. We each have a social security number, a phone number, a drivers license number, a bank account number, and on and on. But God doesnt see any one of us as a number. The Bible says He calls us by name. He sees our hearts, not just our photo IDs. And because He loves us all personally, we should thank Him personally too.

He made us accepted in the Beloved.

E PHESIANS 1:6 NKJV

God loves and accepts us. His only desire is that we grow to become the people He created us to be. We can rest in that. But God has done more. He also knows that we need the acceptance of others. True, we will never have acceptance with everyone. But there is one group we fit intothose who love God, His beloved. Give thanks to our heavenly Father, for He has made us part of His family.

Jesus asked, Didnt I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?

L UKE 17:17 NLT

In the New Testament we read that ten lepers came to Jesus one morning asking to be healed. Jesus healed all ten of thembut only one came back to thank Him. Jesus looked around and asked where the other nine had gone. We should always remember to thank God for all the times He has rescued us, for all the gifts He has given us, for all the love and compassion and forgiveness He has bestowed on us.

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the L ORD .

P SALM 116:17

When we receive a gift, its proper etiquette to write a note of thanks. This formality serves a dual purpose. Not only does the note of thanks bless the giver of the gift, but it also helps the receiver to acknowledge the gift and appreciate its value. We may tell ourselves that God knows we are grateful, but in order to fully enjoy His blessings, we should offer our words of thanks.