Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart Day 6

"With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:“He is good;    His love toward Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid." Ezra 3:11 NIV

     A joy shared is a joy multiplied. There is so much truth in that statement. I'm a talker, I came from a long line of talkers, and I have had a hand in creating my own two little talkers. When my large family (one of eight siblings, and I have extended family in the area, too) gets together, we all talk over each other, with each other and to each other. We *love* to express ourselves in an outpouring of words. It is very overwhelming to the uninitiated, ask any of our spouses. When you aren't used to that kind of chaos, it is like being swept up in a flashflood! 

   But once someone has been around for a few years, they start to understand (even if they don't appreciate) that this is how we have community. Every tear is shared, every worry split, our collective wrath is fearful, but joy...we when rejoice together it is un-containable. And it swallows everyone around us in a torrent of thankfulness. And it is wonderful, and so precious.

    The Israelites were rejoicing. They had returned from captivity, and their beloved temple, to which invaders had laid waste, was finally being rebuilt. They were seeing restoration with their own eyes. And they were *together*. They had been spilled across many foreign places, but now they were coming home. And the fellowship was sweet. They had community once again. Together, their voices were strong, and they were one. Together, their joy, and gratitude, was multiplied.

Today's Reflection:
   When was the last time you shared in an expression of collective gratitude? Didn't sharing your thankfulness cause it to grow? Thank God for the sweetness of the fellowship of the Body, and find someone today to share your gratitude towards God.


Looking for the printable scripture writing plan? Or another day of the "Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart" study? Find them here! 

Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart Day 5

     "Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name." 1 Chronicles 29:13 NIV

     Ever since my kids were able to talk, we've worked on saying, "thank you". I worked with them to say those two words for all kinds of things, to all sorts of people. We say, "thank you" to the cashier at the store, the kind stranger who holds the door, to the sibling that shares their cookie. Over and over I said to them, "It's never wrong to say thank you.". And really, it isn't. I've never had someone tell me that it was morally wrong or socially unacceptable to express my gratitude. And certainly, never my kids. It was so adorable when they would lisp, "tanks!"-who could resist that?

   And that is so how our Father feels about us. He isn't looming over us, waiting to grade us for our utterances of gratitude. He never gets tired of hearing it. He doesn't expect prize-worthy poetry, or even award-winning prose. He just wants a genuine expression of how we feel. And, I can't help but assume that He would like to hear it a little more often. Certainly, when it comes to Him, it is never wrong to say, "thank You".

   Today's Reflection:
     Take time today to write a simple and short, but heartfelt, prayer of gratitude. Put a reminder where you will see it often (or maybe put up several) and repeat your prayer throughout the day. You can never say thank You too much.

Looking for the printable scripture writing plan? Or another day of the "Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart" study? Find them here! 

 

Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart Day 4

              "They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening..." 

1 Chronicles 23:30 NIV

      The Old Testament is often maligned for being "boring" and "full of outdated rules". Even those who claim to love the Word can sometimes be heard to say it is difficult to understand. But I find it fascinating! Reading all those well-thought out laws, and matching up the passages mentioned in the New Testament, and just watching as the wonderful plan for giving us Jesus unfolds-well, I just love it all. It completely fascinates me.

    And very near the top of the list of things I find most intriguing is the group called the Levites. Obviously, the descendants of Jacob's son named Levi, but then entire tribe was appointed to be keepers of the ark, then the tabernacle and later on, the temple. And with that position of authority came quite a few expectations: regulations on how to dress, what to eat, how to interact with others. And many, many specific details about how to fulfill the requirements of temple service.

    Because not just any old body could serve in the temple. And the very specific people had to perform their jobs in very specific ways. It was a beautiful checklist of intricate details, all the boxes marked meant a job well done. Because serving the Lord is not something one should take lightly.

    And in that series of instructions is one that we would do well to take note of: they were to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. And again, the same was to occur in the evening. The Lord specifically commanded them to thank Him. He reminded them that all gratitude and praise was due to Him alone.

    Jesus came to fulfill the Law. So, that means that we can go above and beyond it's requirements as believers. And in many ways, that doesn't mean more rules, it means less. Instead of a certain tribe being required to thank Him twice a day, we all can thank Him all the time. There literally weren't enough days in November to cover all the verses about gratitude, so this one isn't in the plan, but if I were you, I'd make time to write it somewhere:

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

   Through Jesus, we can go above and beyond! The Levites were called to give thanks twice a day. We are called to give thanks all the time-but that is a privilege, not a responsibility!  It is a response, not a requirement.

    Today's Reflection:
      How do you view gratitude? Is thanking God a chore you check off your to-do list, or do you see it as a privilege, an overflow of the contents of your heart and mind?

 Looking for the printable scripture writing plan? Or another day of the "Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart" study? Find them here! 

Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart Day 3

"Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;    gather us and deliver us from the nations,that we may give thanks to Your holy name,    and glory in Your praise.” 1 Chronicles 16:35 NIV

       You may or may not have noticed that today's verse comes directly after yesterday's. Coincidence? I think not! Of course, I chose to place it after in this writing plan, but much more importantly, the Lord chose to place it after in this particular passage. These verses are part of an absolutely beautiful psalm of Asaph, commissioned by none other than King David and recorded in 1 Chronicles 16. I highly encourage you to read the whole thing if you have time. And the song was commissioned for a rather momentous occasion: the ark of the covenant was being returned to its rightful place in the city of Jerusalem.

   A quick refresher: years earlier the Philistines had defeated the Israelites and taken the ark. After bad things happened (I just love that story from 1 Samuel 4-6) the Philistines sent it back. It didn't go well with the first town in ended up in, (1 Samuel 6) so they passed it on to Kiriath Jearim, where it stayed all through the reign of King Saul.

   So, now we are all on the same page. Those had been tough years. Israel demanded a king, got a really bad one, figured out their mistakes and tried to get back on track. David was really interested in serving the Lord wholeheartedly, so he wanted to make sure the ark was restored to a place of honor. There was an issue the first time they tried moving it, involving not following the rules (1 Chronicles 13). David was determined to do it right this round. He recognized all the Lord had done for Israel. The Lord had delivered them time and time again, and finally putting the ark where it belonged reminded them yet again that not so long ago the Philistines had held it, and all Israel, hostage. The Lord had graciously saved them. They had to acknowledge that, shout it from the rooftops. They had to write songs and have a parade. They had to make big changes.

     So, to keep this from getting too long, I think you know where I am headed with this history lesson: these weren't empty words. They came from hearts that had truly experienced salvation: not only had He rescued them, they knew He was the only one who could. They had cried out for salvation, seen it accomplished and now they absolutely had to give thanks.

    When someone does something nice, you say, "thank you" with your words. When Someone does something for you no one else could attempt, let alone accomplish, you say "thank you" with your life.

Today's Reflection:
   Israel wasn't too far removed from a troubling time in their history, this particular instance of  salvation had occurred not very long ago. What is something that God has recently saved you from? Salvation through Christ is once and for always, but we all have moments in our lives (whether we cause them or are just called to walk through them) when we have to cry out for salvation, deliverance from a situation. Recall that time and be thank His holy name, glory in His praise, for He is a saving God. 

Looking for the printable scripture writing plan? Or another day of the "Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart" study? Find them here! 

Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart Day 2

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

  His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV

    Was there ever a more quintessential verse about thankfulness? This phrase is repeated over and over in the Old Testament. In at least six distinct places in the Old Testament, in three separate books, you'll find the command to give thanks, for He is good. Often someone will say, "God is good." and someone will respond, "All the time.". This is the Old Testament equivalent.

HE IS GOOD.

   God is good. There is no qualifying, no reasons needed. Because He is, He is good. Not because of what He does, simply because of who He is. That is the first reason we must give Him our gratitude.

HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.

   I can't help myself. I must use all caps for that statement. Our tiny, feeble human brains cannot begin to comprehend what forever really means, must less understand what a forever love looks like. But since God is love (1 John 4:8) and He is eternal (1 Chronicles 16:36) it is easy to deduce that His love endures forever. But that doesn't make it any less awesome. Seriously, doesn't it just give you chills? Everlasting, never-stopping, always there love.

    Stop right now. Close your eyes, tilt your head back, and let your shoulders drop. He is so good and He loves YOU.

How can you not be thankful?

Today's reflection:
   Tell God how grateful you are for His goodness. And praise Him for His enduring love. Consider a time when He has shown you just how enduring His love is. Thank Him for continuing to love you, even when you were doing your best to be unlovable. 

Looking for the printable scripture writing plan? Or another day of the "Thankfulness: From Hand to Heart" study? Find them here!