Gratitude: The Habit of Gratitude

Gratitude: The Habit of Gratitude

by Marilynn Chadwick "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2 NIV I'd like to become more thankful for the small things in life. Easy to say—harder to do. That's why I'm focusing on being grateful for the everyday answers to prayer. It's easy to blow right past the ordinary blessings God sends each day. We move so fast. Who has time to drink in the magic of the blue sky? And when was the last time you took an extra minute to look into the eyes of your husband, or children, or friends? Get creative. Find ways to focus on being thankful. Here are a few practical tips: On your drive to school or work (or wherever it is that you go each day), find the most scenic route. Refresh your soul with a glimpse of beauty. I choose to travel up a tree-lined hill in our neighborhood and through back roads instead of getting on the main highway. It only adds about three minutes to my trip. Enjoy little breaks throughout the day. Studies recommend thirty minutes of sunshine daily to keep up our vitamin D supply. Why not pick a pretty spot? Take a book. Or go for a walk. Have a definite "quitting time" each day. I was always a big fan of early bedtimes when the kids were small. Make a date to watch Netflix or something fun with your spouse or a friend. Stop the work and savor some down time. Remember, rest is God's idea. Stop multi-tasking for just one day. A friend shared how a mentor helped her calm down her highly stressed life. Her best piece of advice, according to my busy friend, was simple. When working, learn to focus on each person or task with your whole attention. Research shows that the value of multi-tasking is an illusion—it's far less efficient than we think. Keep a thank-you book. List a few blessings at the end of your day. How many little blessings do you miss because you are sleepwalking, or worse, racing through life? Above all, when those tiny blessings come your way, pause and give thanks to the Lord. You'll find yourself becoming more watchful and even more thankful. And before you know it, you will have developed the habit of gratitude.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:22

by David Chadwick "Do not say, 'I will repay evil'; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you." Proverbs 20:22 Today is the last day of our long journey through many of our favorite proverbs. We have learned so much! Proverbs 20:22 says, "Do not say, 'I will repay evil;" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you." What a way to end our time in Proverbs! Because we have all experienced something evil! When we are hurt by someone, everything within our human nature wants to retaliate with equal and greater pain. In the Old Testament, it's called "lex talionis," the law of retaliation, which is where we get the idea of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Gandhi once said that if everyone lived by this maxim, the entire world would be sightless and toothless! The problem with retaliation is that no one retaliates with equal force. The person offended always retaliates with greater force, which only causes even greater escalation when that other person retaliates again. An often overlooked fact is that when God instructed "an eye for an eye," he was actually trying to limit the escalation. One eye for one eye. One tooth for one tooth. No more and no less. But in this proverb, and in the teachings of Jesus, we are instructed not to retaliate at all (Matthew 5:38-42). Do not take vengeance in your own hands. Do not repay evil with evil. And then do what? Give it to the Lord. Trust him with the repayment. Operate in forgiveness and grace, in the same way that God has dealt with you (Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32). It's Paul's profound teaching in Romans 12:19. Let God handle the vengeance. He does it better than we do. And the promise is secure: God will repay. It may not be on our timetable or our way. That's why we need to "wait on the Lord." But he will deliver us. He will carry out justice because he is a just God. That's his nature. He promises to not let anyone get away with anything. Following God's ways of justice means the world will keep a lot more eyes and teeth! It will have less destruction and more love. Thank you for sticking with me as we have studied through the book of Proverbs together. I believe the practical wisdom in this book will continue to serve you well in every area of life!

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:17

by David Chadwick "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel." Proverbs 20:17 Today's proverb is also out of Proverbs 20, verse 17, which says, "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel." Here is another powerful verse about the terror of deception. Titus 1:2 says that God does not lie. Truth is his nature and character. Deceit brings such pain. It is a tactic that leaves a wake of destruction. 1 Peter 2:1 says that we should rid ourselves of all malice and deceit. Leviticus 19:11 says not to lie or deceive one another. Even Jesus, in John 8:44, addressed those who opposed his message and described them in this way: "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." What a profound verse! Satan's native language is deceit, which means that if we lie, we are speaking the language of the devil, the diabolos, the divider. Imagine putting a bite of hot bread into your mouth, fresh out of the oven. Warm. Delicious. Mouth-watering. For the moment, it's worth having! Now imagine you got this bread in a dishonest way. Maybe you stole it and held a baker at gunpoint to get it. You swallow the bread and all of a sudden, your mouth feels like it's full of rocks. What a difference that would be! Both startling and gross. Here's the truth of this proverb. When bread is gotten by dishonesty, it may taste good for the moment, but later the mouth will be full of gravel. Really think about that picture! Gravel in your mouth. Yuck! What a terrible taste and sensation that would be. God knows that a person who gets something by dishonest gain, though it may taste good for the moment, will eventually be destroyed. Eventually judgment will come, and that person will reap what he or she has sown. God is the ultimate judge. He is a God of justice. Eventually he will judge all ill-gain, even though it may momentarily be delicious and satisfying.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:16

by David Chadwick "Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners." Proverbs 20:16 There is a vast array of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Immense knowledge offered on a multitude of topics. Everything from family to money to interpersonal relationships to personal success. God clearly places a high value on practical wisdom and the importance of living responsibly. Today, we are going to look at another verse from Proverbs 20. Verse 16 is today's proverb: "Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners." What is this saying? This verse is speaking to the importance of financial stewardship. Specifically times where you may be asked to put up a deposit or a pledge for another person's debt. You may ask to give "security," or "collateral," for another person's transaction, which means that if that person can't pay the debt, you must. This proverb is giving a very strong warning: "Don't do this!" If you put up security for a foreigner, especially someone you don't really know, you are inviting many potential problems into your own life. The message is clear: manage your finances well. Be smart about your pledges and investments. Know the people you are investing in. Don't become the security for someone who could end up leaving you in a heap of financial duress. This is wisdom. It should be embraced, desired, and applied to your life. Over time, you will find that your wise investments will yield a security of blessings for yourself and your family. Much like the miracle of compound interest—every seven years in the stock market, your investments most often double—the same holds true here. If you make wise investments, avoid taking on others' debts, and make good choices, over time, your future is blessed.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:14

by David Chadwick "'Bad, bad,' says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts." Proverbs 20:14 Today's proverb addresses a financial exchange. A buyer of certain goods desires the purchase, but when bargaining for it, he derides the purchase and says that it is worth very little to drive the price down. Let's read it again together. "Bad, bad," says the buyer; but when he goes away, then he boasts" (Proverbs 20:14). The buyer starts off ridiculing the purchase. He scoffs at the cost and implies it is not valuable. After the purchase, however, the buyer's words change. He begins to boast about its value and brag to others about how he fooled the buyer and stole the deal. Subtly threaded through this verse is an insinuation of deception and hypocrisy. This buyer seemingly is handling his deal in a deceptive way and acting one way to the seller's face and another way behind his back. But what is interesting to me is that this proverb doesn't condemn the behavior; it just notes that it happens, often as part of business endeavors. But the warning is clear: Beware of people's words—especially when they want something you have. They may lie. They may twist your words. They may say one thing to your face and another behind your back. An old 1970's song by a band called The O'Jays says it well in their song "Back Stabbers." Take a look at these lyrics: "They smilin' in your face; all the time they want to take your place, the back stabbers." This perfectly explains the people who smile to your face to get what they want and then stab you in the back. What does all of this mean for us? How do we take the truths of today's proverb and apply them to our lives? We should seek to be people of integrity who are the same publicly and privately. We must be honest in our dealings and seek transparency. We should also make sure we carefully examine everyone's words to explore true motives, which will train us to make wise decisions.