Thanksgiving
How easy it is to dwell on the negative, the difficult, and what we have lost rather than setting our minds on the blessings and good that we have been given from above. Let me encourage you this Thanksgiving week to approach your prayers with gratefulness and begin your prayers with your thanksgivings. When we focus on what we have been given, when we recount the blessings of God FIRST, then everything else is viewed from a more appropriate perspective. Philippians 4:6-7 directs us, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The phrase "with thanksgiving" may be more clearly translated "after thanksgivings." Only after we have given thanks to God should we state our various supplications. God is merciful and gracious. For this reason and so many others, He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. Do not neglect this important discipline!