{"id":2681,"date":"2016-01-23T12:50:24","date_gmt":"2016-01-23T17:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/?p=2681"},"modified":"2016-01-23T12:50:24","modified_gmt":"2016-01-23T17:50:24","slug":"a-prayer-of-thanks-for-good-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2016\/01\/a-prayer-of-thanks-for-good-gifts.html","title":{"rendered":"A Prayer of Thanks for Good Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every good thing I have comes from you. (Psalm 16:2)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Our\u00a0recent post about creeping atheism has made a stir. It was written to Christian readers, but something about it sparked much conversation in the atheist community, which proves the point I was making. My point was this: believers must be committed to our belief system and consistent in the way we live our lives. If we say we believe in God, then we can\u2019t compartmentalize our lives, giving God\u2019s ways access to a few or even most areas of our lives. We must seek to incorporate his directives and His grace into every<\/em> area of our existence. This is our quest.<\/p>\n

I want to thank our atheist readers for demonstrating their zeal and consistency. I only wish we would follow their example. If we are believers, then let\u2019s be believers through and through with devotion and ardor.<\/p>\n

As believers, we are graced with Someone to thank for our blessings. Let\u2019s take some time today to acknowledge the gifts God has given us!<\/p>\n

Creator God,<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I open my eyes to the beautiful gifts you have bestowed on me so generously. Help me to make it a habit, starting each day \u2013 as soon as my feet touch the ground \u2013 with words of thanks and praise for the gifts You have given: a warm bed, heat on a cold winter day, friends to love, challenges to overcome with your help, the evidence of your Word which is transforming my mind, resources to meet my needs, angels working on my behalf today, a God who is concerned even about the mundane details of my life\u2026. I could go on and on, and I shall! To my dying breath!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

For Jesus and His Kingdom\u2019s sake, Amen<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every good thing I have comes from you. (Psalm 16:2) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17) Our\u00a0recent post about creeping atheism has made a stir. It was written to Christian readers, but something about it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,15,7,4,25,3,1],"tags":[553,148,1588,147],"class_list":["post-2681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-bible-prayer","category-daily-prayer","category-god","category-jesus","category-prayer","category-uncategorized","tag-good-gifts","tag-gratitude","tag-someone-to-thank","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nA Prayer of Thanks for Good Gifts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2016\/01\/a-prayer-of-thanks-for-good-gifts.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Prayer of Thanks for Good Gifts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every good thing I have comes from you. 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