The gratitude journal I started a couple of years ago has 3,465 entries.

That’s not because I’m great; it’s because God is great and, by His grace and with His help, I can recognize the blessings that surround me.

There are days when it’s harder to think of gifts to list, when the problems may seem greater than the blessings.  But that’s when I need the list most, to bring my focus back to where it should be.

While maintaining this journal isn’t on my goal list like it was last year, I’m still adding to it nearly every day.  It’s a practical way to highlight God’s grace.

While I don’t list this many items every day, I wanted to share just a sample of entries from yesterday of things for which I’m thankful.

• sweet texts from my husband who’s out of town

• a Christian hairstylist with whom I can talk about God and His Word

• remembering to be thankful even when I slopped a big blotch of coconut oil on a favorite jacket, which will now be reduced to “around-the-house” wear

• sharing Sweet Frog frozen yogurt with my younger daughter, using a gift card she won in Awana

• a piano book we’d ordered for my older daughter arriving in near-record time

• an encouraging phone conversation with my mom

• safety while driving on a drizzly day

• a young lady coming forward in last night’s revival service and the opportunity to share with her the gospel and hear her pray for salvation

Eight gifts from an ordinary day, made extraordinary because of His grace.

What’s on your gratitude list today?

In 2014 my word was trust.

That word was very important to me as the year went by.  We trusted God for wisdom in several decisions that had to be made for our family.  When I wanted to worry or work my will on a situation, I sought instead to trust God.  I tried to embrace Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

In this new year, the word that I haven’t been able to get away from is grace.

I’d already been considering this as the word for my spiritual focus in 2015 when we attended the church my dad pastors on the Sunday after Christmas.  One of the hymns we sang that morning cemented this word in my heart.

Grace Greater than Our Sin
Julia H. Johnston

As I sat down on my pew after we finished singing, I thought of the grace of God evidenced in my life at that very moment.  My entire family – parents, siblings, siblings’ spouses and children – was all together in church worshiping God.  There for my noticing was one of the many evidences of grace in my life that I never want to take for granted.

What will this year teach me about grace?  I have no idea.  I know that I’m saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8,9); He promises that “His grace is sufficient” (II Corinthians 12:9); and grace allows me to have victory over sin in my life (Romans 6:14).  I hope that by focusing on God’s grace, I’ll continue to cultivate gratitude in my life as well.

Not only do I want to be attentive to God’s grace in my life, but I also want to be prepared to extend grace to others.  I am just a saved sinner, seeking to serve God through His Holy Spirit’s power.  Whether I’m interacting with unsaved people or fellow Christians, I want grace to characterize my relationships with others.

God’s grace is free, it’s infinite, and it comes straight from the Father’s hand to my heart.

My salvation began with the grace of God and it is only by His grace that I can continue to live the Christian life.  May I be a testimony of His grace this year.

Source

Midst the twinkle of the Christmas lights,
Under the pile of presents,
Reflected in the silver of the baking sheets
Filled with cookies shaped like stars,
Do we see Jesus?

In the Christmas cards from family and friends,
In the carols playing loudly on the radio,
Behind the tree full of ornaments and tinsel,
Do we see Jesus?

In the wreath on the door, the candles flickering on the table,
The nativity set so nicely arranged;
In the “stockings hung by the chimney with care,”
Do we see Jesus?

At the office holiday party, the neighborhood buffet,
At the church musical, the school luncheon,
In the line at the post office, in the crowds at the mall,
Do we see Jesus?

In the Christmas books we read to our children,
In the cold and starry night sky,
In the faces of family gathered together
Celebrating the season of joy,
Do we see Jesus?

Let me not miss seeing Jesus this Christmas.

 “True prayer, then, can be rooted only in the recognition of genuine need.” ~Catherine Marshall in Christy

As I looked through my folder of potential blog posts, I noticed how many of the drafts that I have started have to do with prayer.  Perhaps this is fitting as I’ve been studying prayers in the Bible during my daily devotions.  In January, I hope to share some of what I’ve been learning – it’s such good stuff!

Yet in order to pray effectively, I have to see in my heart the need for prayer, which is ultimately my need for God and for seeing His hand at work in my life.

I love my prayer journal that allows me to look back over answered prayers.  With only a couple of weeks left in the year, I’m already beginning to reflect about all that has happened over the past twelve months.  From big concerns to small, God has faithfully answered prayer.

When we admit that we need God to show Himself mighty, that we have no power to affect an outcome, then we open ourselves up to see Him at work.  It goes back to my word for 2014 – trust. 

I can trust that He hears my prayers.  I John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us…”  Many times, He answers above and beyond what I expected.  Yet if God doesn’t answer a request as I think it should be answered, I have another opportunity to trust.  I know He will answer in a way that’s best. 

It’s not just in the big situations that I recognize my need, but in the daily trials I face.  Romans 12:12 exhorts us to be “rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…”

Today, let’s recognize our need for God’s guidance and goodness in our lives and strive, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to take our every need to Him in prayer.

Dear God,

November is here.

You have blessed me with another day, another new month to serve you.

It’s a full month, Lord.  One daughter’s playing soccer, one’s trying out for the basketball team.  My sister’s having a baby (so happy!); there’s Thanksgiving and family pictures and doctor’s appointments and preparations for our girls’ birthdays.

Help me to navigate this month with peace and grace.  I surrender myself to You; make me selfless and giving.  Let me not get stressed when the laundry piles up and we eat too many fast food meals and the dust is an inch thick on the dresser.

May I value people over tasks.  Help me choose what is excellent and be a good steward of the time You’ve entrusted to me.

May I see the time I spend sitting in traffic as moments to connect with You – and whoever’s in the car with me.  Let me refrain from talking “at” the fellow drivers around me.

Wherever I am – in the stands at a game, in line at the store, sitting in a waiting room – let me see the people around me as precious souls You love and may I speak to some a word of encouragement.

Don’t let my busy mornings crowd out my quiet time with You.

Keep our family close, building sweet memories together in these next thirty days.

Most of all, Lord, let us please you this month.  May the trials and pleasures and celebrations and mundane moments continue to shape us into what You would have us to be.

You are good and faithful; You meet my every need.  All glory be to You.

Source

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”  ~Psalm 103:2-5

I don’t know if this is age-related or not, but I have difficulty remembering things.   
What was I supposed to buy at the grocery store?  Who has a dentist appointment on Thursday?  Where did I put that piece of paper I needed to save?

Yet when it comes to praising God, I want to remember all that He has done for me.  The passage above lists at least five benefits that God gives to His children.

1.  He forgives all of my sins.  I’m awed when I think of Him just forgiving the sins I committed last week!  To think of God forgiving all the sins of my entire life is simply overwhelming.

2.  He heals our diseases.  When we pray to the Great Physician, He hears us and is capable of healing us of any sickness – and often, He does.  Will He choose to heal us in the way we wish every time?  No.  But whether or not we have relief today, we know that one day, we will be healed forever.

3.  He redeems my life from destruction.  I certainly believe this is true through salvation; when I accept Jesus as my Savior, He provides me with eternal life in Heaven.  However, I also believe He delivers me from destruction in the here and now.  As I follow His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I can be kept from many situations that would cause me harm.

4.  He crowns me with loving-kindness and mercy.  God’s mercy and grace are ornaments placed upon me.  His love for me is constant and never changing.

5.  He satisfies my mouth with good things.  Don’t we have a great God who gives us abundantly above all that we need and grants so many of our “wants,” too?!  I am satisfied and fulfilled when I accept the precious gifts that come from Him and I can know that He is always working for my good.

No matter the size of your 401(k), you can rejoice in these benefits – and many more – when you know Christ!

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”  ~Psalm 150:6

When the alarm clock goes off in the quiet pre-dawn, praise the Lord.

When the shower water’s cold, praise the Lord.

When you burn the toast and have to turn the milk carton upside down to drain the last drops, praise the Lord.

When a child calls “Mama” for the 347th time that day….and it’s only 9am, praise the Lord.

When you’re in the farthest back corner of Walmart and your potty-training child needs to use the restroom, praise the Lord.

When traffic comes to a standstill and you’re already running late, praise the Lord.

When no child naps and the afternoon stretches longer than your patience, praise the Lord

When a child comes home from school with a hole in the knee of his pants, praise the Lord.

When the laundry piles up and dirty dishes fill the sink, praise the Lord.

When you crawl in the bed at night and worries creep into the outskirts of your mind, praise the Lord.

And remember….

When you get an unexpected check in the mail and you walk right into the doctor’s office without a wait and your husband washes the dishes after supper and the kids go to bed without a struggle….praise the Lord then, too.

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”  ~Colossians 3:17

Source

It’s Monday.

That means I’ll spend the morning cleaning our master bathroom, catching up on laundry, and getting the house back in order after the weekend.

It’s not the stuff of legends, won’t make the front page of the newspaper, or even earn me a “Mom of the Year” award.  No one outside of my family will know what I accomplished today.

But I can do these tasks – and any other task ahead of me today – as to the Lord.  I can choose to tackle these mundane chores with a grumbling spirit or a servant’s heart.  And when I do them as to the Lord, I’m bringing glory to Him.

Not only should I do all these things in His name, but also give thanks while I do them.  What can I be thankful for in the midst of spraying and scrubbing and switching laundry loads?  A family to serve, clothes to wear, a house to clean, physical strength, and so much more.

Whatever it is we’re doing today – taking a child to the doctor’s office or grocery shopping or making lunch – let’s embrace it as our calling and do it for Him.  After all, we’re serving the King.

Elisabeth Elliot said these words: “This hard place in which you perhaps find
yourself is the very place in which God is giving you the opportunity to
look only to Him, to spend time in prayer, and to learn long-suffering,
gentleness, meekness- in short, to learn the depths of love that Christ
Himself has poured out on all of us.”

Source

God gives trials to each of us in His will and in His time.  Mine won’t look like yours; yours won’t look like mine.

I have a sweet friend, only 34 years old, mother to a precious young daughter, who is fighting breast cancer.  God is giving her grace.  Another friend is recovering from a fairly serious car accident, one that wasn’t her fault, but has left her with residual pain and a long period of healing.  Others I know face financial difficulties, family separations due to work obligations, a child with ongoing health needs.

I Peter 1:7 tells us “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

These trials that God brings into our lives can, if we allow them, help us see our need of Him, teach us to rely on Him, make us more like Him, and bring Him glory.  It’s not natural or easy, but surrendering to His will and trusting His goodness can bring this about in our lives.

As this verse from the old hymn “How Firm a Foundation” reminds us,

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.”

Whatever trial you and I find ourselves facing today, may we realize the depth of His love, access His grace, and draw close to Him through prayer and His Word

“….Pride is essentially competitive-is competitive by its very nature….Pride gets no pleasure out of something, only out of having more of it than the next man….It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” ~C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

Oh my, do I ever struggle with pride, especially in making comparisons.  And it’s not just in relation to myself; I find that I often compare my children and their traits or accomplishments to others their age.  Are my girls smarter, better dressed, more respectful, have more friends, excel at playing the piano – doesn’t the list go on and on?!!  It’s so easy to fall into the comparison trap.

Pride may even take on a spiritual dimension.  Perhaps I’m proud of my children’s good behavior or their participation in church activities.  I might be proud that I have my devotions daily or that I took the opportunity to serve someone when others didn’t or that the lesson I taught in children’s church was well received.

Lately, when I’ve found pride trying to creep in like usual, I’m trying to redirect my thoughts in two ways:  by quoting Scripture and by consciously being grateful.

Since the Bible says much about pride, it’s easy to find verses to memorize that help me fight against it. 

“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD:  though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” Proverbs 16:5

“….for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” I Peter 5:5

“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

In being grateful, my goal is to turn my focus off of myself and onto Christ.  If I’m alone, I can say something like the following aloud:  “God, thank you that you are faithful in helping me have my devotions each morning.  Thank you that I have the physical strength to get out of bed and have time to spend in your Word.”  Or, “Thank you that in your providence you gave our daughter the ability to learn quickly.  May she use this gift to bring honor and glory to You and to help others.”

Cultivating gratitude also promotes contentment, which removes the competitive nature and the need to have “more than” someone else.  Being content with where God has placed me and what He has given me allows me to rejoice – not only in what I have, but in how He blesses others.

Pride can creep into my life so stealthily and quickly.  I need the Holy Spirit’s help to see it and get rid of it lest it take root and grow.

How do you handle pride?  Do you find yourself falling into the trap of comparison?