Built into our law system is the idea of the equal toleration under the law of all religions. It is a short step in people’s thinking from equal toleration under the law to equal validity. The principle that all religions should be treated equally under the law and have equal rights does not carry with it the necessary inference that therefore all religions are valid. Even a cursory, comparative examination of the world’s religions reveals points of radical contradiction among them, and unless one is prepared to affirm the equal truth of contradictories, one must not be able to embrace this fallacious assumption.
R.C. Sproul

Forums

Forum Navigation
You need to log in to create posts and topics.

Tidbit #17: Thankful!

Forum Archives
738 Posts
#1 · November 15, 2003, 1:27 am

Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE HOPE CHEST

with Virginia Knowles

Tidbit #17 on November 15, 2003

Thankful!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The Hope Chest is a free e-mail newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The writer is Virginia Knowles, wife of Thad, mother of nine children, and author of Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, and The Real Life Home School Mom.

 

Contact information:

Web site: http://www.thehopechest.net

Resource orders: http://www.thehopechest.net/resourceorders.html

Personal E-mail: [email protected]

Subscription: [email protected]

Unsubscription: [email protected]

To change your subscription, just unsubscribe from your old address, and subscribe from the new one. This will save me a lot of time!

 

FREE SHIPPING ON BOOK ORDERS THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2003!

http://www.thehopechest.net/ResourceOrders.html

 

 

Dear Hope Chest readers,

With Thanksgiving coming up, I’d like to take a few moments to focus on gratitude!

My six year son Andrew sets such an example for me in this. He says, “Thank you, Mommy!” continually throughout the day, whether I have given him food, changed his bed linens, read him a book, or done some other little favor for him. And it’s not just a dutiful little mumbled phrase for him. He says it with his whole heart, a big smile, and his arms wrapped around my waist in an affectionate hug. This attitude of gratitude makes me smile and want to do more for him. It’s also quite contagious because then Micah and Naomi -- and even some of the older ones -- start in on the “Thank you, Mommy!” chorus right after him.

I think everyone likes to be thanked! It makes us feel good to know that we have made a difference in someone’s life, and that they have taken the time and effort to express appreciation for it.  I'm not always so faithful at remembering to properly thank those who have been a blessing to me, but I'm trying to grow in this grace.

Our children sure like to hear it!  A simple “thank you” can be such a common sense motivator for keeping up the good work. How often do we say this to them?

  • “Thank you for putting your laundry away without being reminded.”
  • “Thank you for bringing me a cup of water.”
  • “Thank you for being so pleasant at the grocery store today.”
  • “Thank you for spending time with me!”
  • “Thank you for being my kid!”
  • “Thank you for doing your school work so quickly without grumbling.”
  • “Thank you for the pretty card you made me.”

How about our husbands? Don’t they crave sweet words of gratitude from us? Sure they do!

  • “Thank you for working so hard to provide for us!”
  • “Thank you for mowing the lawn.”
  • “Thank you for changing that diaper.”
  • “Thank you for the bouquet of flowers!”
  • “Thank you for stopping at the store for milk.”
  • “Thank you for the back rub.”
  • “Thank you for putting up with me all these years!”

Yes, and God loves to hear it, too!

  • “Thank you, God, for having mercy on me and saving me!”
  • “Thank you, God, for the gift of your Holy Spirit!”
  • “Thank you, God, for a Bible I can read in my own language!”
  • “Thank you, God, for hearing my prayers!”
  • “Thank you, God, for my precious husband and children!”
  • “Thank you, God, for the privilege to train and teach my own children at home!”
  • “Thank you, God, for a church family!”
  • "Thank you, God, for music to sing to you!"
  • “Thank you, God, for providing for our needs -- food, home, clothing!”
  • “Thank you, God, for your beautiful creation!”
  • “Thank you, God, that I live in a nation where I can worship in freedom!”
  • “Thank you, God, for those who govern and protect my country!”
~*~*~
 

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalms 95:2

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalms 100:4

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

~*~*~

 

Need help praising God? Get the book 31 Days of Praise: Enjoying God Anew by Ruth and Warren Myers. (Thank you, Shelley, for giving this to me!) After a meaty introduction on the delights of praising God, Mrs. Myers, who was widowed as a young missionary mother, presents 31 days worth of Scripture-based praise-filled prayers, along with the verse references. Here is the prayer from Day 1:

 

“My heart rejoices in You, Lord, for you are my strong shelter in times of trouble and danger and stress, my hiding place to whom I may continually resort… my Father who lovingly provides for me… my Shepherd who guides and protects me… my Champion who upholds my cause as His child and defends my highest interests… my Bridegroom who delights in me… my God who is mighty to save, who rests in His love for me and rejoices over me with singing, with shouts of joy. You are my inheritance, my share in life, the One who satisfies my longing soul and fills my hungry soul with goodness... I praise You for Your love and Your wisdom. You are too wise to ever make a mistake, too loving to ever do anything unkind. You act on my behalf, accomplishing what concerns me and fulfilling your purpose for me as I call on You. Thank You that You love me deeply and tenderly. You are compassionate and gracious, full of loving kindness, ready to forgive, patiently considerate, and generous beyond imagining. You desire my love and rejoice to do good things for me. You delight to give me the desires of my heart as I delight myself in You. How precious is Your love to me, O God! I sing for joy as I take refuge in the shadow of Your wings!”

 

~*~*~

 

Next week, I’ll try to dig up a Hope Chest back issue on the Thanksgiving holidays! Until then, why don’t you think of creative ways to express thanks to your family, your friends, and your Creator! (And send them along to me so I can share them with the other Hope Chest readers!)

Thanks for allowing me to visit your home by e-mail each week!

 

Virginia Knowles

http://www.thehopechest.net

Click for thumbs down.0Click for thumbs up.0