NIV 365-Day Devotional Plan (2017)Sample

A Spirit of Thanksgiving

We are to live with an attitude of thanks in our home. Notice Psalm 9:1 doesn’t say to give thanks when everything is going well. Instead, it implies that we should be thankful even when circumstances are challenging.

It’s all about perspective. God has blessed us more than we deserve and so we need to be thankful. If your family has food, be thankful. If you can fill the gas tank in your car, give thanks. If you lay your head on a comfortable pillow at night, give thanks.

There will always be a temptation to focus on what we don’t have instead of what we do possess. Every television commercial tries to convince us that we are missing something. They draw our attention away from gratefulness and toward neediness — or merely want.

A spirit of thanksgiving is a choice we can make. As your children watch that steady gratitude emerge from our lives, it will be easier for them to keep their eyes off themselves and develop a thankful heart of their own!

Parenting Principle

It is better to give than to receive, and better to thank than to want.

Points to Ponder

*Is there a spirit of thankfulness in your home?

*How do you help foster this spirit? What distracts you?

*How do you tell of his wonderful deeds in your home?

Taken from Once a Day Nurturing Great Kids