Gratitude - Days #5, #6, and #7

Welcome back! We're playing a bit of catch up today, so enjoy meditating on the following three scriptures about gratitude. Here is our verse for November 5:

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Colossians 3:15-17

We need to be thankful for the gift of peace that is freely given to us, we need to actively praise God through His Word and worship to experience that peace, and we need to be grateful for Jesus, God's own son, at all times in order to feel this kind of peace. Sometimes, I forget that peace can be achieved all the time. Peace isn't a feeling dependent on our circumstances, but actually a chosen way to live given freely to us by our Father. No matter what our day may look like, we are called to live a life of peace and to ensure that an environment of peace is created around our family. It's there to take, we must decide to accept it!

One way to receive that gift of peace daily is to worship regularly! An interesting story, if you let me digress for a bit...I'm really into politics. It isn't who I am, but I enjoy keeping up with the news, talk radio, and watching the highs and lows of our nation attempting to govern itself. Much to my husband's dismay (not his cup of tea), I've been listening to a lot of talk radio while we do errands. At the same time, our son has decided that he does not like to be strapped into the car seat anymore. We are talking all out fits in the back seat! Amazingly...almost all of the time...when I put on the Christian radio station, he calms down. I watch him in the rear view mirror, gathering himself, wiping his tears, and calmly looking out the window. This example is just one in a hundred of how the words of praise to our Father can completely calm a situation and bring peace to all who hear. Sometimes, I go to the praise music channel and play it when he just needs to come down a few notches at home. If you aren't much of the singing type, simply hearing the words of praise is enough to usher peace into a situation. Try it. It's so cool! And, I suggest limiting the talk radio listening time. Caleb has talking about "Obamacare" the other day...no joke :-)

Finally, giving thanks for God and for His Son will allow us to walk into peace, doors wide open and welcoming. Remembering that peace is a gift given through the death and resurrection of Jesus is the best way to experience the calm, and then to show our gratefulness for it.

I pray this is a blessing for each of you today. I also pray that you are enjoying this season of gratitude! On to our next verse for November 6...

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may leave peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

1 Timothy 2:1-2

I am exceedingly grateful for the freedom we have to choose our leaders. I see that women from all over the world are reading this blog, and I imagine that some of you live in places where this right is not (yet!) yours. Therefore, it saddens me when people of this great country do not take full advantage of the opportunity to vote. Men and women have fought, and even died, over the years to ensure that the gift to make our voices heard remains protected. Especially as women, we need to celebrate the freedom to speak our minds, stand up for our values, and show strong examples of patriotic citizenship to our children. While freedom in Christ is free due to His blood shed on the cross, freedom in America is free due to the sacrifices of many. Now...what if you are less than pleased with the people leading us, and the decisions being made that directly affect our daily lives?

Jesus is, and always will be, our ultimate authority regardless of who occupies any of the political offices. And because we are Christ followers and respect the living Word of God, we live by its commands. Look above at the verse on gratitude that I chose today. God asks us to show thanksgiving for kings (i.e. the President) and all those in authority. We don't have to agree with him, we don't even have to like him, but we do need to show our gratitude for the simple fact that we live in a society where he is in charge with established order, fair laws, and protected freedoms. I look at it as showing gratefulness for the office and government ordained by God, many years ago, for this great country. Showing respect for our President sets a fantastic example for our children to learn to respect all people who are/will be in authority over them, including God. We won't always agree with those in authority (think about how little your toddler may agree with you on a daily basis!), but teaching the value of respecting authority is a lifelong tool which our children will be blessed to have.

Finally, our verse for November 7...

"Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise Your glorious name."

1 Chronicles 29:13

This idea is from nearly a year ago, but I have enjoyed using it with our son as we have started into our "school" routine in the afternoons. Last year, I posted a Pinterest idea about using the ABC's of scripture to decorate our play room. I took it a step further by attaching an ABC flash card to each paper, so that my son will become familiar with letters and the alphabet order. (See below for the verses that I used). My cards look like this:

Instead of simply telling you about this idea, I thought I would share the verses that I chose to use for this project. My goal in searching for scripture was the following:

• a scripture for each letter
• scripture that is easily applicable to the life of a child
• scripture that can be easily memorized
• a personal desire for each of these lessons to be instilled in our children (for instance, I have a strong background in music, so my husband and I have a hope to develop the passion for praise in our children...hence, the letter "S". We also feel it is important to take time to rest, therefore I chose a verse about the Sabbath for the letter "R.")

I compiled my list from a variety of sources. I used blogs (a great resource is The Princess and the Jedi), Google searches, a hand out from bible study, and my own personal Bible knowledge. It's colorful, cute, and Godly. The only thing that would make it better is glitter. Unfortunately, glitter and boys don't mix in our house, per my husband :-)

Feel free to use, to share, and to make this list your own. I pray that it can be useful to you as you raise your children to be thankful for the Word of God as they grow. Today, I am thankful for His Word. What a powerful helper in the busyness and difficulties of parenting! What do you need to give God thanks for today? A burst of creativity to help with parenting? A fantastic Pinterest idea to incorporate God's Word into your daily life? An extra long nap by your little ones to give you some extra rejuvenation time? Whatever it is, let's be sure to always give Him thanks, and to praise His glorious name!

A - "As for God, His way is perfect." 

Psalm 18:30

B - "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." 

Acts 16:31

C - "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." 

Ephesians 6:1

D - "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." 

Psalm 37:4
E - "Every good and perfect gift is from above." 

James 1:17

F - "For nothing is impossible with God." 

Luke 1:37

G - "Goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life." 

Psalm 23:6

H - "Honor your father and mother." 

Exodus 20:12

I - "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind."

 Jeremiah 32:27

J - Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me." 

Matthew 19:14

K - "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies." 

Psalm 34:13

L - "Love is patient, love is kind." 

1 Corinthians 13:4

M - "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." 

Psalm 100:1

N - "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 

Hebrews 13:5

O - "Obey the Lord your God and follow His commands." 

Deuteronomy 27:10

P - "Pray continually." 

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Q - "Quench not the Spirit." 

1 Thessalonians 5:19

R - "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." 

Exodus 20:8

S - "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord." 

Ephesians 5:19

T - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." 

Proverbs 3:5

U - "Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it." 

Proverbs 16:22

V - "Victory rests with the Lord." 

Proverbs 21:31

W - "When I am afraid, I will trust in You." 

Psalm 56:3

X - "Let us eXamine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord."  

Lamentations 3:40

Y - "You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 

1 Corinthians 12:27

Z - "Never be lacking in Zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." 

 Romans 12:11