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I might illustrate the willfulness of many a supplication by that of a little boy who was very diligent in saying his prayers, but was at the same time disobedient, ill-tempered, and the pest of the house. His mother told him that she thought it was mere hypocrisy for him to pretend to pray. He replied,…

We ought to pray with thanksgiving in its highest of all senses, by thanking God that we have the mercy which we seek. I wish we could learn this high virtue of faith. When I was conversing lately with our dear friend George Müller, he frequently astonished me with the way in which he mentioned that…

How to Abide and How to hear God’s will

A song of thanksgiving

When I heard about the horrible fires ripping through a small Northern California town of Paradise, it made my heart ache for the loss that was happening there. As I searched social media for people that I might be able to help, I came across this public post: "We are safely evacuated but...we just heard…

Robert Emmons, author of “The Little Book of Gratitude,” was asked in an email interview to respond to a the question, “How do you personally practice gratitude?” Emmons said, “The best way I practice gratitude is to continually think about those people who have done things for me that I could never…

Jamie Ducharme has compiled an impressive list of the benefits of being grateful from a series of scientific journals. According to these studies gratitude can: increase your patience, improve relationships, increase your carrying out of “healthy living,” help your sleep, prevent you from eating too…

In THANKS! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. writes, "I think about those courageous individuals who left Plymouth and sailed to Holland and then crossed the Atlantic to New England in 1620. All but three families dug graves in the rocky soil of New England to bury…

When Joao Pereira de Souza, a 71-year-old retired brick layer, found an oil-covered, emaciated penguin languishing on the rocks, he decided to take it home. He hand-fed it, and spent a week cleaning the oil off its feathers. When its health returned, de Souza, tried to set the penguin free, however,…

In THANKS! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. writes, “We can be proud of our accomplishments yet simultaneously realize they would have been impossible without help from others.”—Jim L. Wilson —THANKS!, 8 Psalm 28:7 (CSB) “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my…

Sport commentator Bob Costas made fun of a Chicago Cubs pitcher on a MLB Network telecast for pointing to the sky after a bad outing on the mound. The pitcher, Pedro Strop, explained to Costas that he “thanks God for the opportunity and it has nothing to do with how well he performs.” That is the command…

It has been more than 30 years since President Clinton’s misconduct with a 24-year-old intern in the oval office. Recently he explained in a documentary on Hillary Clinton that he began his affair with Monica Lewinsky as a way “to manage my anxieties.” The Week, March 20, 2020 p. 6 The Biblical cure…

# Philippians 1:3–8 ## Opening: Paul’s Thanksgiving As we move on this morning in our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we find Paul following his normal pattern of thanksgiving and prayer. This week we will look at his statement of thanksgiving about the Philippians, and next week we will look…

One of Austin Hermsen’s friends posted his phone number on a Craigslist ad for a free turkey giveaway. The ad stated he had thirty turkeys to give away to whoever called him. While it started out as a prank, it quickly became a real event. After receiving 100 calls for free turkeys, his group of Hermsen’s…

A study from the University of Central Florida found that keeping a gratitude journal for two weeks decreased gossip in the workplace. The participants in the study spent a few minutes each day writing about people they were grateful for. Writing for Psychology Today, Christopher Bergland said, “After…

Mindy Belz, writing in World Magazine says “Our present day ingratitude may have taken root during the 1950s, when we thanked ourselves for our new prosperity instead of God.” Somewhere along the way, our National day of Thanksgiving has changed. History teaches that we find Thanksgivings beginnings…

One out of four Americans between 18 and 24 said they had considered suicide during the pandemic, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among respondents of all ages, 40 percent reported suffering from mental or behavioral health issues related to the pandemic, including…

Lifeway conducted a survey about gratitude a few years ago. Despite recent cultural shifts, most Americans are still thankful to God for their many blessings. Shockingly, 14% of those along northeastern coast were grateful ultimately to themselves. Nationwide, however, even 25% of “those with no religious…

Our parents taught us to say please and thank you. Common courtesy goes a long way. Just ask William White a 104-year-old Marine veteran is a Purple Heart recipient who fought at Iwo Jima. For Valentine’s Day 2020, he was overwhelmed with gratitude from 70,000 fellow citizens who sent him a valentine.…

During the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic one of the hardest hit businesses were restaurants. Just hours before the Ohio governor ordered all bars and restaurants to shut down, a customer at the Coaches Bar and Grill in Columbus tipped $2500 on a $30 Check. “Please split this tab equally,” he wrote. Owner…

A COVID Response Tracking study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago found adults under the age of 35 were especially likely to report negative feelings or to experience physical and emotional symptoms associated with stress and anxiety connected with the coronavirus pandemic. The study found…

What does it mean to be grateful? William Weigal worked in the post office as a mail sorter. One day a supervisor asked William to replace a postman who was too sick to do his route. Thinking that it would not be too much trouble he agreed. After only one day on the job he refused to ever take the position…

An anonymous customer at a Houston restaurant left the staff a gift to help the staff hours after the county announced mandatory business closings in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The restaurant said the customer left a $9400 tip a few hours after the county mandated the closings and left a note…