Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34 (NLT)
It’s easy to forget the things that God has done in our lives. We just get so busy. And in our busyness, we forget the time that God provided a way for us.
What if we took a few minutes today and thanked God for His faithfulness in our lives? Can you think of two or three things that God has done for you, and then take a moment to thank Him for those things?
It’s powerful for our outlook on life if we’re able to thank God. It helps us be more thankful and more in love with God when we take the time to remind ourselves of what God has done and to thank Him for His goodness. Today, take that time. Make some space in your life to thank Him.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
Have you ever had one of those days when everything that can go wrong does? I remember one morning, I woke up and my pet fish was dead, my parents were going to Hawaii later that day on vacation and they weren’t taking me. And to top it all off, things weren’t going well at school and each day I went stressed me out. That day, I felt like everything was going wrong and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
I’m sure you’ve probably had a day like that where tons of things were going wrong for you and it just felt like your world was spinning out of control. In moments like those, it is a challenge to get out of bed, let along be thankful like today’s Bible verse encourages us to do.
God wouldn’t tell us to do something that we couldn’t do. So it must be possible to be thankful in all circumstances. How do we do it? I think it’s just by finding one small thing you can thank God for. Maybe it’s the fact that you didn’t have to go hungry at breakfast. Or perhaps simply the fact that you woke up in the morning. There’s power in finding a small thing to thank God for. As you focus on that small thing, others will come to your mind. The more you focus on the things in life that you can be thankful for, the more thankful you’ll become.
Today’s Truth: As you focus on being thankful, the easier it is to be happy
So choose today to find small ways to be thankful. As you focus on being thankful, the easier it becomes to be happy. So develop a lifestyle of thankfulness today.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
Being thankful can be hard sometimes. Maybe you’ve had a difficult year so far. The disappointments and unmet expectations of the year have piled up, and you feel anything but thankful.
That’s where today’s verse comes in. It’s telling us to be thankful. Not only when it’s easy and things are good, but in all circumstances. That’s when it gets difficult.
How do you stay thankful when it feels like there is absolutely nothing to thank God for?
One way to do it is to begin really basic. The sun came up today. Can you thank God for that? Could you thank Him that you had some water to drink today? Even if it’s something super basic like having water to drink, it still is something to be thankful for.
Yes, there are things in your life that probably aren’t the way you’d like them to be. However, in the midst of that, we still can find something, even if it’s basic to give thanks to God.
Today’s Challenge: Find something small to thank God for.
Have you noticed how it’s so easy to become ungrateful? We can slip into it without even trying. It’s so easy to look at the things others have and wish you had them. Then you begin to be ungrateful for the things you do have.
However, God’s word challenges us to be thankful in all circumstances.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
So begin small. See if you have a favorite food that you could be thankful for. Then look to see if you have a piece of clothing that you can be thankful for. How about a favorite scripture that you could thank God for? If you begin to look, you’ll see that while you might not have as much or the same as someone else, you do have things to be thankful for.
So take some time today to find things you can be thankful for. If you’ll look, you’ll realize that even if you’re in the middle of some bad circumstances, there is still something to thank God for.
Today’s Truth: You have something to thank God for.
What are you facing today? Is your family facing lack, and you’re not sure that your bills will be paid this month? Does fear torment you? What problem are you facing?
Think about that problem, then determine to go to God’s Word for the answer.
The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s power limited? You will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you.” – Numbers 11:23 HSCB
God’s power is not limited. If He promises something to you in His word it has to happen. Your job is simply to believe that His power is able to meet your need and to believe it.
It’s not always easy to stand firm believing, especially when you’re faced with something that seems really big. But God is faithful. If He’s promised you an answer in His word, then it has to happen.
So be encouraged today, God’s Word will come to pass in your life. Keep believing and you’ll see the power of God work in your life.
Today’s Truth: If God promises us something in His Word, it has to happen.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. – Phil 4:8 (NLT)
I always loved playing tennis in school. I wasn’t the best athlete on my team, but I was able to be a decent player by changing how I thought about the game. The defining moment for me was in a match where I had lost five games in a row. For some reason I just couldn’t seem to score points on my opponent.
My coach pulled me aside between games and challenged me to just keep thinking positive and believe that I was going to beat my opponent. With those words ringing in my head, I stepped back on the court. During the rest of that match, my opponent hardly scored another point. I came back from behind to win.
That’s a lot like what today’s Bible verse is talking about. This verse tells us to fix our thoughts on good things. Whether it’s a sporting event, a math test, or a relationship, what you think about it matters. If you think thoughts of failure and defeat, that is how you will see yourself and how you will act.
Today’s Truth: What you choose to think about matters. Choose to think good thoughts!
Choose to do what this Bible verse says and think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. As you do, you’ll find that you have more success and more fun in life!
“When you are angry, don’t let that anger make you sin,” and don’t stay angry all day. – Ephesians 4:26 (ERV)
I remember one time I was angry with my parents. I felt they needed to know how mad I was at them, so I came inside the house, grabbed the handle of the basement door and slammed it as hard as I could. The door shut with a thunderous bang that echoed through the house. A moment later, I heard a loud crash and the shattering of glass. I knew then that I was in big trouble. It turns out that when I slammed the door, it shook the clock off the wall and sent glass shattering all over the kitchen.
I allowed my anger to get out of control and it lead to me doing something I regretted. In life, it’s easy to be angry. It’s really easy to get mad at how someone is treated or at something that feels unfair in your life. And if you let it, anger will grow to the point that it consumes your actions and emotions and explodes into something potentially bad, or damaging.
Today’s Bible verse doesn’t say that it’s wrong to be angry. There are going to be situations in life when we all get angry. It’s when we let that anger grow unchecked to where it causes us to sin that it becomes wrong.
Today, if you find yourself struggling with anger, ask God for His wisdom and help. Many times, He will show you a practical way to deal with your anger. Or, He might show you that you need to forgive someone who has done you wrong. He may show you a verse to help give you perspective on your situation. Whatever it is, God wants to help you navigate through your anger. He wants to provide you with the help you need to overcome. So don’t be afraid to ask for God’s help.
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. – Galatians 6:8
This verse talks about sowing to our flesh. That can really mean a lot of different things. Simply put, sowing to the flesh is living out from under the control of the Spirit of God. It’s not allowing God to have control and be number one in your life.
There are a lot of different ways this could look. For example, you could be in total disobedience to God, or it could just simply be that you’re not pursuing the things of God. A lot of the time, it’s easy to get distracted by social media, TV shows, or hanging out with friends. We don’t realize that when we put these things first, we’re really not pursuing the things of God.
Today’s Bible verse tells us that if we sow to these things in our life we will reap destruction. Challenge yourself today to not sow to please your flesh. Choose instead to do things that are sowing to the Spirit. Choose to follow after God wholeheartedly, and see the awesome things He does in your life!
Today’s Truth: Choose to follow after God, and see the difference it makes in your life!
I remember hearing my dad’s voice at tennis meets. For some reason, I could always hear him cheering me on. When he would yell my name, I knew that he was there and he was watching.
In the same way, God has called us by name. He calls us by name, which speaks to His deep love and knowledge of you.
But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. – Isaiah 43:1 (NLT)
So when we go out, when we make decisions each day, we should be mindful that God has called us by name. God knows us and as a result, we should be making decisions and living our lives in ways that bring glory to God.
We’re not accidents, but we’ve been created and called on purpose. Let’s determine to go out and make the world a better place for Jesus today!
Have you ever been afraid of something? Maybe as a little kid, you were afraid of the dark. And that fear kept you from doing certain things. Fear of the dark would keep you from exploring your dark basement, or even from going to bed at night.
Fear can keep us from God too. Perhaps we haven’t experienced His true nature, and so we fear Him and avoid Him. But God tells us in today’s verse to not fear. We don’t have to be afraid of God. He loves us and redeemed us.
But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. – Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
When something is redeemed, it’s been bought back. Often it’s for a high price. And that’s what God did for us. He redeemed us. He bought us back. And because of that, we don’t have to walk in fear toward God. God loves us and paid the price for us to know Him in a real and deep way.
So today, think about this verse. Realize that you’re created, formed, and redeemed. That means to God, you’re valuable!
