Day 1
Many decades ago when I was just a little girl, I got the brilliant idea of preparing my Christmas thank-you notes before the holiday arrived. How was this possible? The gifts were still wrapped and under the tree! But smart me, I wrote out a template of notes that began, “Dear (blank), thank you for the (blank). It was very (blank).” All I had to do was fill in the blanks rapidly after my packages were open. For some reason, my older brothers showered me with much ridicule for my efforts.
Today, looking back I can see the humor of my idea, but the importance of giving thanks has never diminished, a thought which leads to the unveiling of this year’s Advent theme: “Thanking Jesus.”
In Philippians 4:6, Paul encouraged the members of his congregation to thank God for everything He had done. In the 24 days of Advent this year, we will look at people throughout the Bible who chose to give thanks to God under all kinds of circumstances. Have you given thanks to Him today?
(Challenge: Can you identify the first person in the Bible who gave thanks to God? Send your suggestions to me today and we’ll see who comes closest!)
