100 Days of Thanks – Day 53

Day 53

The Produce of Our Hearts 

Hebrews 13:15

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

  A fruit’s quality depends on the plant or tree it originates from. A dried-out strawberry plant can’t produce sweet and juicy berries, and a diseased apple tree won’t bear flavorful apples. In Luke Jesus says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good;”

100 Days of Thanks – Day 52

Day 52

Make It Doable

Colossians 1:10-12

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 

  It’s time to get in shape. You decide to buy new workout clothes; cut

100 Days of Thanks – Day 51

Day 51

The Easy Road and the Hard Road

Proverbs 14:12

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

  Gratitude is hard. It requires discipline, practice, and perseverance. It’s a steep and rocky road, but that in itself is a gift. Its challenges slow you down, enabling you to see the surrounding beauty you may have missed otherwise. Complaining, on the other hand, feels good momentarily. You gain validation, gratification, and yo

100 Days of Thanks – Day 51

Day 51

The Easy Road and the Hard Road

Proverbs 14:12

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

  Gratitude is hard. It requires discipline, practice, and perseverance. It’s a steep and rocky road, but that in itself is a gift. Its challenges slow you down, enabling you to see the surrounding beauty you may have missed otherwise. Complaining, on the other hand, feels good momentarily. You gain validation, gratification, and yo

100 Days of Thanks – Day 51

Day 51

The Easy Road and the Hard Road

Proverbs 14:12

12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

  Gratitude is hard. It requires discipline, practice, and perseverance. It’s a steep and rocky road, but that in itself is a gift. Its challenges slow you down, enabling you to see the surrounding beauty you may have missed otherwise. Complaining, on the other hand, feels good momentarily. You gain validation, gratification, and yo

100 Days of Thanks – Day 50

Day 50

Don’t Forget

Psalms 103:2-5

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

  In Psalms 103 David wrote down reminders of the Lord’s works as if he were thinking, Don’t forget! Remember all of this! Da

100 Days of Thanks – Day 49

Day 49

Accept the Gift of Relaxation

Matthew 11:28

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

  What if you ended a long, harried, exhausting week, and you were told, “Congratulations! You made it! Now, to relax, you can throw a birthday party with fourteen kindergartners on a sugar high, or you can run errands in the ninety-five-degree heat.” Sounds like the opposite of relaxation, doesn’t it?

  Instead, how would you choose to relax? Wh

100 Days of Thanks – Day 48

Day 48

It’s More than a Dirty Dish

Psalms 116:17 

17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Lemon-scented dish soap, sunshine streaming through the window. You smile and relish washing the dishes, crusted with last night’s spaghetti. You just love having piles and piles of dishes to wash. Hmmm. Is that how you feel when you the dishes? Most of us would likely reply with a hearty “No!” We’d rather be relaxing in a bubble bat

100 Days of Thanks – Day 47

Day 47

A Gift or a Disappointment?

Colossians 3:17

17 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. 

  Is the glass half-empty or half-full? Daily you choose one or the other by living with gratitude or ingratitude. You decide to see the water as a gift or as a disappointment and choose to give thanks for what you have—or focus on what you lack. You make the choice. Let’s fill our half-fill cups and keep

100 Days of Thanks – Day 46

Day 46

Ordinary Is a Blessing

James 1:17

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

  We’re attracted in the shiny and grandiose. We like big moments adventurous stories. Ordinary sounds boring. Yet, if our child is hospitalized, we yearn for ordinary life. When we’re pushed out of our routine by a stressful workweek, tragedy, an emergency, or nonstop busyness, nor

100 Days of Thanks – Day 45

Day 45

The Blessings of Grass Stains

Psalms 107:1

1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

  Pour in detergent, select the settings, load the clothes, turn on the washer, switch to the dryer, fold, stack, and repeat. Procter & Gamble says the average American family does 300-390 loads of laundry per year, and while you may do much more or less, the point is: laundry never ends. As long as you have clothing, you’ll have items to wash. Sinc

100 Days of Thanks – Day 44

Day 44

God Given Emotions

Jeremiah 31:3

3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

  Life would look very different without emotions. What if we didn’t know joy, delight, excitement, and satisfaction? What if we couldn’t express ourselves or feel anything in situations in which we would normally feel angry, sad, or mournful?

  Emotions are God-given. The Bible speaks of God’s

100 Days of Thanks – Day 43

Day 43

A Small Thank-You Makes a Big Impact

Ruth 2:12

12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

  You are surrounded by people to thank: the barista making your morning latte and the cab driver who gets you to the airport on time. Your always-prompt mail carrier, the professor who patiently answers your questions, and the kind customer service representative at Target. Thank the bus dri

100 Days of Thanks – Day 42

Day 42

Weather: More than Small Talk

Leviticus 26:4

4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

  Look outside. Is it sunny and hot, gray and drizzly, cloudy, breezy, or snowy? Give thanks, for each kind of weather has its benefits. The sun warms our skin and increases vitamin D in our bodies, cloudy days help us think more clearly, snow insulates the soil, and rain nurtures the food we e

100 Days of Thanks – Day 41

Day 41

On Coffee and Gatorade: We Pursue What Won’t Satisfy

Matthew 6:19-21

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

  Cravings are powerful. If a pregnant woman wants pineapple, a brown and s