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Gratitude: Day 9

Day 9: Gratitude focus – A friend who has been a good example

Quality or name of God – A Refuge for the Oppressed

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Last night on the news, a man from New Jersey spoke of having to climb to the roof of a nearby house to seek refuge from the ravages of Superstorm Sandy last week. He shared his personal terror as the waters were rising higher and the surges were pounding harder as the hours rolled by. He began to fear that even his rooftop refuge would soon be under water. The segment ended with the good news of how he was safely rescued from the peak of his neighbor’s roof!

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9, NIV)

Though I have never been through a storm of such incredible proportions as those inflicted by “Sandy,” like all who are reading these words, I have had times when I was afflicted, troubled, uncertain, and downtrodden. Just like the man in the news story, I sought refuge—not physical refuge, but a spiritual refuge. And I found it!

It is interesting to me that the word for ‘refuge’ in today’s verse is misgab—meaning “high place,” “secure height,” and “retreat.” As we take refuge in the One Who is the stronghold for those who are oppressed, we can find comfort and courage in the fact that the storms which threaten our souls cannot devour us in the high tower of shelter provided by our Refuge!

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Additional reading (for reading through the Psalms in 30 days):

Psalm 9, 39, 69, 99, 129

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Ideas for demonstrating gratitude to the person of focus today:

»  – Send an email to thank your recipient for being a good example. Be sure to state a specific area in which they are an example to you.

»$ – Send a card or letter to the friend you have chosen to thank, and be sure to mail it soon! If possible, enclose a picture of you and your friend together. (Walgreen, Target, Meijer, etc. have photo kiosks where you can print a picture from a flash drive for under 25 cents!)

$ – Give your gratitude recipient a blank journal or a book you know they would enjoy reading. Be sure to write a note of thanks in the front cover to remind them of your appreciation! [Inexpensive blank journals are available at Michael’s! Use your coupon or iPhone app coupons for 40% off the price!!]

 » = free      »$ = minimal cost     $ = cost involved

“A good example has twice the value of good advice.” (Unknown)

By Petals from the Basket | November 9, 2012 | Bible Reading, Events, Friends, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

Gratitude: Day 8

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” (William Arthur Ward)

Day 8: Gratitude focus – A single missionary whose life is dedicated to service

Quality or name of God – Father to the Fatherless

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Ideas for demonstrating gratitude to the person of focus today:

»  – Send an email to thank your recipient for his or her impact in your life.

»$ – Write a letter to the single missionary you have chosen to thank. (You can find a mailing address online or through their sending church or mission board.) Include information from “home”—such as the cost of gas, a special event at your church or in your family, etc.

$ – Begin today to start a “Christmas Missionary Fund” in your family. Each person, regardless of age, can contribute to the jar and the total amount can be sent the day after Christmas through the recipient’s sending church or mission board. Teach your children to pray for this missionary each time they are able to contribute something to the fund. It’s a win-win gift!

 » = free      »$ = minimal cost     $ = cost involved
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“Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy.” (Psalm 68:4-5, NLT)

For a weekly Bible study I attend (Hello, my WOW/”TMI” friends!), I have been reading numerous portions of the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I am awestruck each time I read that Christ, the very Son of God, had compassion on someone. Widows, orphans, singles serving Him with no family or friends around them…for each of these, the “Father to the Fatherless” promises His care! He even sees to it that the fatherless are not without a father…and becomes the Father to them!

In fact, in His amazing love, grace, and mercy, He sees our needs, has compassion on us and promises not to leave us alone as we walk with Him! Perhaps that is why the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 68:4 of what we should stop to do today: “Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in his presence!”

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Additional reading (for reading through the Psalms in 30 days):

Psalm 8, 38, 68, 98, 128

By Petals from the Basket | November 8, 2012 | Bible Reading, Events, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

Gratitude: Day 7

Day 7: Gratitude focus – A relative

Quality or name of God – Righteous

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“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.” (French Proverb)

Ideas for demonstrating gratitude to the person of focus today:

»  – Call or send an email to thank them for their impact in your life.

»$ – Write a thank you note or letter to your relative of focus. Send it through the mail to arrive later this week. Share a favorite memory of an event or act of kindness that influenced you in a positive way.

$ – Either through the mail, by personal delivery, or via local delivery service, send an inexpensive “just-because-I-love-you” gift to your gratitude recipient—a plant, a favorite game for the family to play when you get together, a gift certificate for a manicure or a massage, etc.—and be sure to include a note of appreciation!

 » = free      »$ = minimal cost     $ = cost involved
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“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (Psalm 7:17, NIV)

In today’s focus verse, the Hebrew word for God’s righteousness is tsedeq. This word refers to His justice and speaks to the honesty of His character. In ancient markets, scales were commonplace for weighing the item being purchased. Sadly, many sellers would use “unjust weights” and cheat their customers by making false claims as to what the customer was receiving.

In the “just” scales, however, there was nothing false hidden within them that would create an insincere measurement of anything being weighed. A merchant with a “just weight” could be trusted. He was honest and sincere.

Like the Psalmist, we simply must give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness! God is true to His promises and can be trusted to do—and to be—what He says. Does it GET any better than that?

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Additional reading (for reading through the Psalms in 30 days):

Psalm 7, 37, 67, 97, 127

By Petals from the Basket | November 7, 2012 | Bible Reading, Events, Family, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

Gratitude: Day 6

Day 6: Gratitude focus – A widow/widower whose life is lived for God’s glory

Quality or name of God – Worthy of Praise

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Ideas for demonstrating gratitude to the person of focus today:

»  – Pray for your focus recipient today. Call or send an email to share that you prayed for them and appreciate their godly example following an earthly loss.

»$ – Sit down sometime today and write a thank you note or letter to your person of focus. Send it through the mail to arrive later this week. In a positive way, state a Christ-like quality you have observed in them through their loss.

$ – Donate a gift of time or money in memory of this individual’s loved one. Send your gratitude recipient a note sharing how you have chosen to honor their loved one  (do not state the amount of money donated) and thanking them for their example in the midst of the ongoing pain of earthly loss.

 » = free      »$ = minimal cost     $ = cost involved
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“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise….” (Psalm 96:4, NIV)

One of the main reasons I personally began doing Thirty Days of Gratitude many years ago was to become intentional about expressing gratitude for more than just gifts. I wanted to look around me and see all my blessings. As I did, I realized that most of my blessings were in the form of people who had impacted or were currently positively influencing my life.

Critics say, “We should be thankful every day of every month.” They’re right. We should. But just as we observe Valentine’s Day to make us stop and become intentional about demonstrating our love in a tangible way, we also need to be deliberate in our efforts to show gratitude.

Yet, how intentional am I in praising God? Today’s verse states that He is “worthy of praise” (“greatly to be praised” in some versions). He’s earned it. He deserves it. However, so often I quietly praise Him during my God-and-I-Time while neglecting to praise His name to others. Share what He has done! Tell your friends and family of His mighty works on your behalf! Praise Him…for He is worthy!

The more I learn of God, the more I desire to praise Him because the more I learn of Him, the more I realize that He is worthy of all my praise! (bls)

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Additional reading (for reading through the Psalms in 30 days):

Psalm 6, 36, 66, 96, 126

By Petals from the Basket | November 6, 2012 | Bible Reading, Events, God-and-I-Time, Ideas, Thirty Days of Gratitude |

Gratitude: Day 5

Day 5: Gratitude focus – A school teacher who has impacted my life

Quality or name of God – My Maker

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Ideas for demonstrating gratitude to the person of focus today:

»  – Call or send an email to your focus recipient today. In thanking them, name at least one specific thing you learned under their teaching—either in or out of the classroom—that impacted your life.

»$ – Sit down sometime today and write a thank you note or letter to your person of focus. Send it through the mail to arrive later this week. Include an example of how you are trying to influence others in the same way they influenced you.

$ – Purchase a small token of gratitude for this former/current teacher related to their subject matter or to some specific thing that they taught you. Be sure to include a thank you note when you mail this gift to them or before you give it to them personally.

 » = free      »$ = minimal cost     $ = cost involved

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” (William Arthur Ward)

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When I was in the fourth grade—many, many, yes, many years ago now—we had a unit on pottery in art class. We created figurines, plates, or, as in my case, whatever our object turned out to be. I’ll gladly confess that mine is just plain ugly. My bowl/design of unknown origin is a horrid shade of yellow with a little “sun” etched into the bottom of it. My attempt at creating a scalloped top around the outside is uneven at best. But I created it.

Because I made this object—inspired by a fun art teacher, I might add—I have treated it with great care all these years. It may appear useless to others, but I created it to be a “jewelry holder,” and it serves that purpose to this day. When I take off my everyday jewelry at night, it goes right into my handmade jewelry bowl. I consider it a treasure for no other reason than that I made it.

How much more does God treasure His creations? One of my most comforting thoughts in recent months has been that God is my maker! When I didn’t know where this journey of mine would lead after suddenly losing my job, the fact that God made me, made me with a purpose, and sees a beauty in my design which may not be visible to others, He will take great care of me! In fact, the value He placed on the human race He created was so great that He sent the only Son He had to give His very life for us!

On day five of this month of gratitude, I extend the same invitation to you that the psalmist writes:

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:6, NIV)

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Additional reading (for reading through the Psalms in 30 days):

Psalm 5, 35, 65, 95, 125

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What changes in your thoughts/actions today by remembering that God is your maker? Feel free to leave a comment!

By Petals from the Basket | November 5, 2012 | Bible Reading, Events, Ideas, Life Changes, Thirty Days of Gratitude |