CHAPTER 1
WEEK 1 / DAY 1
Thankful for Each New Day!
* * *
Praise the Lord! / Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, / because his faithful love endures forever. / Who could possibly repeat / all of the Lord's mighty acts / or publicly recount all his praise? / The people who uphold justice, / who always do what is right, are truly happy! —Psalm 106:1-3
This is "Be happy" week. With each sunrise, you have a reason to thank God for your life and for the good things you enjoy. The psalmist reminds us that one reason to be happy is simply because God is good. God is good and he is faithful and his love for us goes on forever. Imagine that! No matter what you do, how far off the path you stray, how many times you don't get it right, God is good and faithful and his love for you just keeps going on.
Each morning when you rise and are able to get up out of bed (you already have a reason to be thankful, because you spent the night in a nice, warm bed), you can grin from ear to ear. If you're in the habit of counting your blessings before bed at night, you may want to start early. If God was only going to give you back today, the things you told him you were grateful for last night as you counted your blessings, you probably wouldn't have slept a wink. You'd probably still be counting because you wouldn't want to miss the chance to have the good things in your life continue to surround you. So, take a deep breath and begin again to show God what it means to you to be his grateful child, living in unending grace.
How often do we need to see God's face, hear his voice, feel his touch, know his power? The answer to all these questions is the same: Every day! —John Blanchard
Lord, let me see you every day and smile. Let me hold up my hands and offer my grateful heart. Today, I remember ...
WEEK 1/ DAY 2: Setting Priorities
Order your soul; reduce your wants; live in charity, associate in Christian Community; obey the laws; trust in Providence. —Augustine of Hippo
Our ancient ancestors may not have set New Year's resolutions or kept goal charts on their calendars, but they clearly set their intentions to live a blessed life. Perhaps they too, aspired to have more grateful hearts.
God's spirit made me; the Almighty's breath enlivens me. —Job 33: 4
Today, Lord, I really want to thank you for ...
* * *
WEEK 1/ DAY 3: Start Something
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Starting out with a clean slate means you can carve out a new path, try a different road, give yourself the gift of new experiences. The outcome may bring unexpected treasures and reasons to be more thankful to your Creator.
Your Instruction is my joy! Let me live again so I can praise you! —Psalm 119:174-75
Today, Lord, I'm so grateful for ...
WEEK 1/ DAY 4: Dream
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. —Robert Frost
It's okay to let your imagination soar, take flight into all the things that stir your heart with passion and joy. God planted desires in your heart so that you might dream them into being, creating more light to share with others. It's a great day to give thanks for those stirrings in your heart that keep you dreaming with growing.
God speaks in one way, / in two ways, but no one perceives it. In the dream, a vision of the night, /when deep sleep falls upon humans, ... then he opens people's ears, ... / to turn them from a deed / and to smother human pride. —Job 33:14-17
Lord, I thank you for my dreams ...
* * *
WEEK 1/ DAY 5: Letting Go of Yesterday
When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. —Alexander Graham Bell
It's good to give God the glory for yesterday, to be grateful for where we've been. The past is a good teacher, but like most teachers, it doesn't mean to hold you back, but simply means to guide you toward the future, toward your dreams.
But this is precisely what is written: God has prepared things for those who love him that no eye has seen, or ear has heard, or that haven't crossed the mind of any human being. —1 Corinthians 2:9
Today, Lord, I thank you for my yesterdays ...
WEEK 1/ DAY 6: The Time Is Now
We must use time creatively ... and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. —Martin Luther King, Jr.
Each day is like the beginning of the year, a great opportunity to look at how you want to invest your time and energy. Will you spend time on things that are no longer in your hands, or will you spend time holding on and holding up the chance for a bright future?
In your perspective a thousand years / are like yesterday past, / like a short period during the night watch. —Psalm 90:4
Lord, I thank you for the time you have given me. Help me be wise in the ways I spend the precious time I have ...
* * *
WEEK 1/ DAY 7: Stay Strong
Every job is the self-portrait of the...