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You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!



Psalm 30:11-12



The wonderful poet Annie Johnson Flint composed a poem that gives remarkable insight into Christian gratitude. She wrote,



As we offer our small rejoicing for the love that surrounds our days

All the wonderful works of Thy goodness open before our gaze.

And through gates of our narrow thanksgiving we shall enter Thy courts of praise.



Praise and thanksgiving to God do more than make us feel good. They also increase our comprehension and apprehension of God’s goodness. And through that, we receive a greater capacity to enjoy Him and experience Him in our lives.



While many people spend a great deal of time enlarging their prayer lists, we must also spend time enlarging our praise list and counting the blessings of God—naming them one by one. This day is about more than turkey; it’s about recognizing God’s goodness in our lives.



As you count your blessings today, let that guide your thoughts. Give God praise for His goodness and you’ll enjoy Him all the more!



LET GOD’S GOODNESS GUIDE YOUR THOUGHTS THIS THANKSGIVING AND YOU’LL DEEPEN YOUR ENJOYMENT OF HIM!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.



Philippians 4:6



Everyone has a bad day now and then. I once heard someone explain that you know you’re having a bad day when…



… you see your stockbroker hitchhiking out of town.



… Your children's school calls to surrender.



… You wake up face down on the pavement.



But in bad days as well as good days, we’re to praise the Lord. That’s what Thanksgiving is all about. But what if we weren’t just thankful one day a year, but turned our Thanksgiving Day into “thanks-living” every day? What if our day of gratitude turned to a constant attitude of gratitude?



Giving thanks should be the first response for any Christian. So why is it so rare? Well, many people base their level of thankfulness on their current circumstances. When things go well, they’re thankful. But when things don’t go their way, they stop.



Real thankfulness, however, should transcend our circumstances because we have so much too be thankful for. We have life. We have breath in our lungs. And that’s one of the greatest gifts we could’ve ever been given. Be thankful today not for your circumstances, but for what you have in your life.



SO GIVE THANKS NO MATTER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.



Proverbs 10:9



Have you ever heard of this urban legend?

There was a man who bought a beautiful Labrador retriever and loved showing him off to the neighbors. But one day, he looked out the back door and his beautiful dog had the neighbor’s pet rabbit in his mouth. He didn’t know what to do, so he gently pried the dog’s mouth open and pulled out the rabbit. But it was too late. The rabbit was dead.



So he had a brilliant idea. He took the rabbit’s corpse into the house and he washed off all the dirt. He then got his hairdryer and dried the rabbit off and fluffed him up real nice. At dark, he climbed over his neighbor’s fence, found the rabbit cage, and gently placed the little bunny inside.



The man was relieved. That is, until the next morning when his neighbor came over and told him, “We got a real sicky in this neighborhood! Three days ago my rabbit died, so I buried him in the backyard. Somebody dug the rabbit up, cleaned him off, and put him back in his cage!”



It's an old tale that was made really famous by the movie "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" but it's a story with a very good point, Deceit never pays off. In fact, it just might get you into more trouble when all the facts are made known. So live honestly. Be truthful in all your dealings. When you do, you’ll have a clear conscience and be fully confident in your integrity.



BE TRUTHFUL IN YOUR DEALINGS WITH OTHERS SO YOU CAN LIVE WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE.