By CTA – Christ to All
As you approach Thanksgiving, may these 30 verses and reflections to help you cultivate a thankful heart!
Day 1: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15 ESV).
Thank you, dear Jesus, for the peace of sin forgiven, for the moments you give me to catch my breath, for restful sleep.
Day 2: “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 4:19 ESV).
Thank you, Father, for everything I need and for providing it at just the right time.
Day 3: “[Give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 ESV).
Thank you, Father, for bubble baths and chocolate ice cream, for snowdrifts and swimming pools, for cotton candy and Christmas carols.
Day 4: “Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” (Psalm 150:5 ESV).
Thank you, Lord, for everything noisy! For bustling traffic and the thunder of jet planes, for clamor in kitchens and in factories, for the roars that arise from stadiums and playgrounds . . .
Day 5: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV).
Life with you—now and forever! What a gift, Lord Jesus! How can I thank you?
Day 6: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17 ESV).
Thank you, Father, for every gift you give—especially the gift of a thankful heart.
Day 7: “Let them all praise the name of the LORD” (Psalm 148:13 NLT).
Government is your good gift, Father. So is family. Thank you for them.
Day 8: Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks (1 Timothy 4:4 NLT).
Thank you, good Lord for vinegar and vultures, for voles and vexations, for voting and vinyl, for vines and violins!
Day 9: “God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10 ESV).
Thank you, Lord, for oceans and lakes, rivers and bays, islands, and inlets, for sandy beaches and rocky coasts!
Day 10: “[They made] themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD”
(2 Chronicles 5:13 ESV).
Thank you, Lord, for the duty—and the delight!—of worship.
Day 11: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you”
(Colossians 1:3 ESV).
Thank you, God, for friends!
Neighborhood friends. Childhood friends. Church friends. Workplace friends.
Friends! Friends! Friends! Friends!
Day 12: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV).
Lord Jesus, in you my future is secure, totally and forever secure! Thank you!
Day 13: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 ESV).
Homemade bread, fresh from the oven. Melted butter, drizzled and dripping. Raspberry jam, slathered on top. Praise the Lord our God!
Day 14: “Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me” (Psalm 50:23 NLT).
Raindrops. Candy corn. Hand lotion. Aspirin. Light bulbs. Purple. So many blessings, so little time.
Day 15: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14 ESV).
Thank you, Lord God, for your presence, your promises, your rest!
Day 16: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”(Revelation 5:13 ESV).
Someday, Lord Jesus, I will see you face-to-face! Meanwhile, you support and strengthen me. I will thank you forever!
Day 17: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” (Colossians 4:2 NLT).
Thanks, Lord, for listening when I come to you. Thanks for those who taught me to pray, and for those who remind me to continue in prayer . . .
Day 18: “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything” (Genesis 9:3).
For lettuce and tomatoes, for bacon and cucumbers, for peaches, and for pumpkin pie, we thank you, good Lord!
Day 19: “I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30 NLT).
Jazz. Rock. Pop.
Big Band. Country. Baroque.
Blue Grass. Reggae. Electronic.
And more!
Thank you, God, for music!
Day 20: “They were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD” (1 Chronicles 23:30).
It’s a new day, Lord Jesus! Your mercies toward me are new! Thank you for all you have in mind for me today.
Day 21: “You shall remember the LORD, your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18 ESV).
Thank you, Lord, for the ability to work, for paychecks, and for all the good things money can buy.
Day 22: “And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded” (Matthew 10:42 NLT).
Serving you is a “get to,” Lord, not a “got to.” Thank you for opportunities to show your love!
Day 23: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:4 ESV).
Dear Jesus, the grace you’ve given me is so amazing! Teach me to be gracious to others today, especially . . .
Day 24: “Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 136:5 NLT).
For twinkling stars and majestic galaxies, for the Big Dipper and the Milky Way, for Mars and Jupiter and all the beauty of the universe, thank you, Creator-God!
Day 25: “They praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid” (Ezra 3:11 ESV).
Lord, thanks for my church and the foundation of truth your Word provides.
Day 26: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works” (Psalm 139:14).
Dear Father, you made my body—every cell, every organ, every ability!
Day 27: “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38 ESV).
Birthday gifts. Christmas presents. Gifts in bags and wrapped with bows. Thanks, Lord Jesus, for all the gifts I’ve received—and for those I’ve been able to give.
Day 28: “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way” (2 Corinthians 9:11 ESV).
Lord, all the riches of heaven are mine—especially your love in Jesus! Make me generous in sharing those riches, especially . . .
Day 29: “Praise the LORD from the earth” (Psalm 148:7 ESV).
Thank you, God—for whales and for dolphins, for sea urchins and starfish, for blizzards and volcanoes, for wintertime and summertime.
Day 30: “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will” (John 5:21 ESV).
Lord Jesus, you’ve given me life—true life, eternal life with you now and always! Thank you!
