35 Days of Gratitude

This past Sunday, November 27, in the message - I challenged the congregation at Oak Park to commit to spending the rest of 2011 in intentional gratitude for what God has already done - and for the mercy He has shown.

One of the Scriptural basis of this is Mark 5 - where Jesus delivered the man of demon possession.  When the man asked to go with Jesus, Jesus refused - but instead, Jesus told him to go back home and to tell his family and friends what Jesus had done for him - and the mercy that Jesus had shown him.  The story ends by telling us in Mark 5:20 that the man did not just go tell his family, but he told everyone in "Decapolis" - a ten city region south and southeast of the Sea of Galilee - and that everyone was amazed when they heard the man's own story of what Jesus had done FOR HIM - and how much mercy Jesus had shown HIM.

Beginning with this story, along with numerous passages of Psalms which tell us to share what God has done ("Let the redeemed of the Lord say so") - as well as Revelation 12:11 (...they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony) - I challenged the congregation for the rest of 2011, the next 35 days, to intentional gratitude.

The plan I gave is simple:

• Every day - remember.  Take time to just remember one thing God has already done for you.
• Think about it.  Don't just "remember" - but take time to dwell upon it, relive the moment.  Once again marvel, be amazed at just how good God was to you, and how much mercy He has shown you in just this "one" thing
• Write it down.  Journal.  Make a written log of the one thing you took time to remember each day.
• Speak it out loud.  Remind yourself out loud.  Talk to yourself, rehearse the details out loud
• Be Grateful.  Specifically thank the Father all over again for this one thing
• Share it.  Look for an opportunity to share this "one thing" with someone else each day.

In personally keeping with this challenge, I felt to create this blog - my first endeavor into the blogosphere :)

So each day, I'll be posting my thoughts of intentional gratitude for the "one thing" I will be thanking the Father for on that particular day.  I pray it blesses, strengthens, encourages those who read it - as just my remembering and dwelling upon and thanking the Father has already blessed and encouraged me.

Be blessed - but more importantly, be thankful for the blessings you've already received.

I challenge you - become personally involved and join me in spending the rest of 2011 in intentional gratitude.