Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle.

The more you use it, the stronger it grows,

and the more power you have to use it on your behalf.

If you do not practice gratefulness,

its benefaction will go unnoticed,

and your capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished.

To be grateful is to find blessings in everything.

This is the most powerful attitude to adopt,

for there are blessings in everything.

~ Alan Cohen

X Even though you can't see Him, GOD is there! O 

 

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

with

Psalm 66:1-12

Make a joyful noise to God,
   all the earth;
sing the glory of God's name;
   give to God glorious praise.

Say to God,
   "How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your power,
   your enemies cringe before you.

"All the earth worships you;
   they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name."

Come and see
   what God has done:
God is awesome in deeds
   among mortals.

God turned the sea
   into dry land;
they passed through the river
  on foot.

There we rejoiced 
   in God,
who rules by God's might 
   forever,
whose eyes keep watch 
   on the nations--
let the rebellious 
   not exalt themselves.

Bless our God,
   O peoples,
let the sound of God's praise
   be heard,
who has kept us
   among the living,
and has not let our feet slip.

For you, O God,
   have tested us;
you have tried us
   as silver is tried.

You brought us 
   into the net;
you laid burdens 
   on our backs;
you let people ride 
   over our heads;

we went through fire
   and through water;
yet you have brought us out
   to a spacious place.

or

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me."

But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, 'Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant."

with

Psalm 111

Praise God! 
I will give thanks to God
   with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright,
   in the congregation.

Great are the works of God,
   studied by all
who delight in them.

Full of honor and majesty
   is God's work,
and God's righteousness
   endures forever.

God has gained renown
   by God's wonderful deeds;
God is gracious 
   and merciful.

God provides food
   for those who fear God;
God is ever mindful
   of God's covenant.

God has shown God's people
   the power of God's works,
in giving them the heritage
   of the nations.

The works of God's hands
   are faithful and just;
all God's precepts are trustworthy.

They are established
   forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness
   and uprightness.

God sent redemption 
   to God's people;
God has commanded 
   God's covenant forever.
Holy and awesome 
   is God's name.

The fear of God
   is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it
   have a good understanding.
God's praise endures forever.

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David--that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful--
for he cannot deny himself.

Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."