Thirty-Day Challenge and Reading Plan
The goal of this Thirty-Day Challenge is to cultivate the rhythm and discipline of giving thanks. We don’t change through good intentions alone. It will take discipline, effort, time, and consistency to build a new habit.
Growing in Gratitude is a realistic goal. While this challenge is flexible as to how and when you use it, consider setting a goal to finish this 30-day gratitude challenge by July 4th. But let grace motivate you, not guilt. If you forget or fail one day, start fresh the next day. You have a few buffer days built into the challenge. Find a friend or two to take this challenge with you to provide mutual encouragement and accountability.
Through this challenge, we will learn about the Bible’s emphasis on giving thanks through the readings each day. We will recognize the goodness of God around us, record what we can thank God for, and tell Him thanks through prayer. Our objective is to be thankful for God’s gifts and grow in joy and love as knowing Him as the Giver.
The Challenge consists of three elements.
Read and meditate on the Bible verses about giving thanks. See below for a thirty-day list.
As you read God’s Word about gratitude, include a prayer of thanksgiving. Thank God for what you’ve learned about who He is, what He’s done, or the gifts He’s given.
During the day, look for things God is doing for which you can give thanks. Keep a journal, a scrap paper on your desk, or use a notes app on your phone, but find a way to record things you’re thankful for. Set a goal of writing down five things each day.
This doesn’t always have to be spiritual. One day, you might thank God for the forgiveness given through Christ, and the next day, you might thank God for something you see in nature or the cup of coffee you drink in the morning. Not all gifts are equally valuable, but all gifts can be a source of thanksgiving.
Join others taking the Gratitude Challenge by using social media to share your list or something you are grateful for. Use the hashtag #gratitudechallenge when you post it or tag FBC Oak Island on Facebook.
THIRTY-DAY READING PLAN
Below are thirty passages on various aspects of Thanksgiving. Read and Reflect on what they teach you about Thanksgiving or reasons to give thanks. Then give thanks to God in prayer.
1. Matthew 7:9-11; James 1:17; 1 Corinthians 4:17; Romans 11:36
2. Daniel 2:17–23; 6:10; Romans 8:28–29
3. Psalm 100
4. Luke 17:11–19
5. 1 Chronicles 29:10–22; Leviticus 7:11–15
6. Romans 1:18–23; 12:1–2
7. Psalm 103
8. John 6:11, 23; 11:41; Acts 27:33–38; 1 Timothy 4:3–4
9. Philippians 4:4–9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18; 1 Peter 5:6–9
10. Exodus 14:10–14; 15:22–16:8; Philippians 2:14
11. 1 Chronicles 16:1–36
12. Psalm 9
13. Psalm 28
14. Psalm 136
15. Romans 6
16. Psalm 33
17. Matthew 26:26–29; Hebrews 8:6–13
18. Psalm 30
19. 1 Timothy 1:12–17; Ephesians 2:1–10; 2 Corinthians 4:15
20. Psalm 95
21. Psalm 118
22. 1 Samuel 8
23. Deuteronomy 8
24. Ephesians 1:3–14
25. 1 Corinthians 15:12–28, 35–58
26. Psalm 105
27. Psalm 104
28. Psalm 138
29. Psalm 145
30. Revelation 4:1–11; 7:9–17
The Gratitude Challenge is adapted from Dustin Crowe's book, The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks: Reclaiming the Gifts of a Lost Spiritual Discipline (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2020), 159–162. You can get the book on Amazon.