November. First Thing. Five Things.

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November. First Thing. Five Things.

Ah November. It’s hard to believe you’re already here, but here you are, and I long to welcome you with a heart of gratitude.


Christmas will be here before we know it, and yet my heart longs to stay in the moment — enjoying each November day, leading to Thanksgiving Day, a mere three days prior to the start of Advent.


Thanksgiving — the perfect precursor to Christmas and the season of Advent — a sacred observance that connects the two traditions.


Not that we should need a month dedicated to gratitude. Shouldn’t we be giving thanks all year long and live thankful every single day? And yet, there’s something about intentionality that sure helps the mentality.


Seasons change, and calendars flip. One countdown leads to another as one holiday gives way to the next. But there’s no better place and time than here and now to be grateful for where we are right here and what we have right now.


I know there are some days and seasons filled with anything but gratitude and thanks because they’re filled with things that cause great angst. These are the days that gratitude eludes us because life is just so tough.


It’s easier said than done to raise our gaze above the tough stuff, but raise we must, if praise is going to fill that empty, lonely space — if our hearts are ever going to be full of thanks.


ThankFULL. Not empty. Not lonely. Full of thanks, not angst. Releasing the tough stuff to receive the His great love for us.


Today, I’m grateful to be growing in grace. I have not arrived and there is much to learn, but an intentional daily attitude of gratitude is a great place to start, so that’s my aim — not perfection, but reflection — raising my gaze in order to find my praise.


That’s why I’m calling for some days of praise ahead of Advent. I’m calling the challenge “First Thing. Five Things.” Throughout the month of November, first thing in the morning, before your feet hit the floor, verbalize five things you’re thankful for. You could also jot them down in a journal as a daily log throughout this journey. That’s it. Nothing major. Nothing hard. Just an attitude of gratitude to start your day. I’m sure it will impact you in other ways. So, what do you say?

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Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily — Reason 27: Thankful esa Enriched by Relief

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Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily — Reason 27: Thankful esa Enriched by Relief

June 27th. Day 27 of walking through “Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily” — Part 1 of “A Gospel Primer for Christians” by Milton Vincent.


Today’s reason — Thankfulness Enriched by Relief.


In today’s reason to rehearse the gospel daily, Vincent starts with this profound reminder as to why this daily exercise and total absorption in the gospel is key to truly living it out...


“The more absorbed I am in the gospel, the more grateful I become in the midst of my circumstances, whatever they may be.”


He continues by saying...


“Viewing life’s blessings as water in a drinking cup, I know that I could discontentedly focus on the half of the cup that seems empty, or I could gratefully focus on the half that is full. Certainly, the latter approach is the better of the two, yet the gospel cultivates within me a richer gratitude than this.”


Vincent goes on to say...


“The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath. {Revelation 14:10, Psalm 75:8} This is the cup that would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day. With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me. That God, in fact, has given me a cup {Psalm 116:12-13, Psalm 23:5} that is full of ‘every spiritual blessing in Christ,’ {Ephesians 1:3} and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy. As for my specific earthly circumstances of plenty or want, I can see them always as infinite improvements on the hell I deserve.”


He concludes...


“When I look at any circumstance that God apportions me, I am first grateful for the wrath I am not receiving in that moment (The empty part of the cup never looked so good!). Second, I am grateful for the blessings that are given to me instead of His wrath. (Life‘s blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve.) This two-layered gratitude disposes my heart to give thanks in all things {1 Thessalonians 5:18} and it also lends a certain intensity to my giving of thanks. Such a gospel-generated gratitude glorifies God, contributes to peace of mind, {Philippians 4:6-7} and keeps my foot from the path of foolishness and ruin.” {Romans 1:21-29}


This reason resonates as well simply because viewing ALL we have in Christ against the backdrop of ALL we would miss without Him...Wow! Even the tiniest drop of blessing in Him is more than enough to sustain my parched soul, because without Him even a cup overflowing with all the world offers would never ever come close to satisfying what He alone can supply.

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