Tag: gratitude
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The Danger of Forgetting – Genesis 40:20-21
Genesis 40:20-21 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup…
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From Panic to Prayer – Genesis 32:9-10
Genesis 32:9-10And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou…
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When the Song Fades – Genesis 25:2-4
Genesis 25:2-4 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. At first…
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Given with Gratitude – Genesis 9:3-4
Genesis 9:3-4 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. This is a new word for a new world. Before the Flood, man is not told to…
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The Sacrifice of Encouragement – Hebrews 13:16
Have you ever watched one child thank another without being told? It almost stops you in your tracks. There is something so clean about it. No prompting. No bargaining. No lecture first. Just kindness offered freely, and suddenly the whole room feels lighter. A parent sees that and smiles almost without thinking. That little moment…
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Enough Is Enough — 1 Timothy 6:7–8
1 Timothy 6:7, 8 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. Paul strips life down to the bare essentials. We came into the world with empty hands, and we will leave the same way. No one arrives…
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Sanctified at the Table — 1 Timothy 4:4–5
1 Timothy 4:4–5 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. There is something beautifully ordinary about this. Paul is talking about food again. Not visions. Not mysteries. Not hidden codes. Food. The kind that…
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Gifts Meant to Be Received — 1 Timothy 4:3
1 Timothy 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. There is a kind of spirituality that feels tight in the chest. It is careful. Controlled. Serious about everything. It talks a lot about sacrifice. It…
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First of All — Pray — 1 Timothy 2:1
1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. Paul shifts the focus from guarding doctrine to shaping atmosphere. “First of all…” Before strategy.Before structure.Before correcting the culture. Pray. That order matters. When a church begins to drift, our instinct is often…
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When Grace Turns to Praise — 1 Timothy 1:17
1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Paul cannot talk about mercy for long without lifting his eyes. He has just remembered who he used to be. A blasphemer. A persecutor. A violent man convinced he was right. Then…
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Joy That Makes You Forget Yourself – 1 Thessalonians 3:9
For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God. Paul almost sounds overwhelmed here. “What thanks can we possibly give?” He’s not exaggerating. He’s not being poetic for effect. He’s trying to put words around something that feels bigger than…
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Breathing Gratitude – Colossians 4:2
Colossians 4:2 (a) Continue in prayer… Leadership without prayer becomes pressure. Whether you oversee a company, guide a classroom, raise children, or simply manage your own responsibilities, the only way to carry authority well is to kneel first. Prayer keeps power from hardening the heart. “Father, You send the bread. Help me distribute it rightly.”That…
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His Nature in Everything – Colossians 3:17
Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Paul sweeps the whole of life into one sentence. Whatever you do. In word.In deed. That covers conversations, decisions, habits, tone, work ethic, reactions. It includes the…
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Contentment Is a Classroom – Philippians 4:10–11
Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Paul’s joy was not in the money. It was in the love behind it. The Philippians had not forgotten him. They had simply lacked opportunity.…
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Shine Quietly – Philippians 2:15–16
Philippians 2:15, 16 (a) That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life… The world does not grow darker because of one great evil. It grows darker…