Dave's Diary

And we’re back!

These blog posts and their author sneakily took a few extra weeks’ break while doing some prayerful processing of the way forward. For this week, I hope to help us all to focus on the vital Christian practice of thanksgiving and then the following week we’ll jump into Advent!

For today’s reading, let’s go to Ephesians 5:19-20

¹⁹ Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19b-20)

Thanksgiving is a spiritual discipline deeply rooted in the Scriptures. Time and again in the Old Testament, God instructs His people to remember what He has done for them, lest by forgetting His goodness they might be led astray from Him.

James reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights …” (James 1:17) The truth is that every good thing we experience in our lives is a blessing from the Lord, and He deserves our gratitude and thanksgiving. But so many good things happen to us moment by moment and day by day that we very seldom register how good God has been to us. So we need to put in some intentional hard work of remembering.

Throughout this week, please allow me to suggest an area or two of our lives to reflect on each day and to encourage us all to think prayerfully about the good things God has blessed us with in these parts of our life. Let’s remember, so as to give thanks with greater accuracy.

First, for today, let’s take time to think back on our “spiritual lives” in 2025.

• How have you experienced God’s presence and love personally and privately this year?
• How have you experienced God’s presence and love in Church worship or times of ministry this year?
• What new and wonderful discoveries have you made about God in Scripture this year?

Please make a list in your journal (or on a sheet of paper) now. Then keep it handy throughout the day to add to it as memories of God’s goodness in your spiritual life re-emerge.

Lord, for all Your manifold goodness, I give You thanks and praise. Amen!