Thirty-Day Gratitude Challenge

The goal of this Thirty-Day Challenge is to cultivate the rhythm of giving thanks. We don’t usually change through good intentions, unless they are coupled with some action. (This is the action part.) At Cross of Glory, we’re doing the Challenge for 30 days, beginning on Monday, November 14, 2022. We’ll do readings for six days and each Sunday is a rest and catch-up day. (Note, however, that the Challenge can be done at any time, so feel free to pass this along to your friends and family.)

As you journey through this Thirty-Day Challenge, let grace motivate you, not guilt. If you forget or fail on any day, start fresh the next day. You may even want to take this Challenge with a friend or family member for mutual encouragement and accountability.

As we move through the readings, we’ll learn about the Bible’s emphasis on giving thanks, and then we’ll practice gratitude by noticing and giving thanks for God’s many gifts each day. In addition to developing the discipline of gratitude, this Challenge is also intended to help us grow in our love and knowledge of God as the giver of all good things.

The Challenge consists of 3 steps:

  1. First, read and meditate on the day’s Bible verses about giving thanks.
  2. Second, 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.
  3. Third, 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 your thankful for. Remember to consider both God’s big gifts and the smaller and/or surprising things you see God doing in your life.  

Thirty-day Reading Plan

Below are 30 passages on various aspects of thanksgiving.  As you read, notice how God is thanked, what he is thanked for, and the results of giving thanks. Let it lead you into seeing God at work in your own life and thank Him for it. Reflect on what these passages teach you about thanksgiving and/or reasons to give thanks. Then give thanks to God in prayer.

  1. November 14 — Matthew 7:9-11; James 1:17; 1 Corinthians 4:17; Romans 11:36
  2. November 15 — Daniel 2:17-23; 6:10; Romans 8:28-29
  3. November 16 — Psalm 100
  4. November 17 — Luke 17:11-19
  5. November 18 — 1 Chronicles 29:10—22; Leviticus 7:11-15
  6. November 19 — Romans 1:18-23; 12:1-2

November 20 – rest and catch-up day

  1. November 21 — Psalm 103
  2. November 22 — John 6:11, 23; 11:41; Acts 27:33-38; 1 Timothy 4:3-4
  3. November 23 — Philippians 4:4-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; 1 Peter 5:6-9
  4. November 24 — Exodus 14:10-14; 15:22-16:8; Philippians 2:14
  5. November 25 — 1 Chronicles 16:1-36
  6. November 26 — Psalm 9

November 27 – rest and catch-up day

  1. November 28 — Psalm 28
  2. November 29 — Psalm 136
  3. November 30 — Romans 6
  4. December 1— Psalm 33
  5. December 2 — Matthew 26:26-29; Hebrews 8:6-13
  6. December 3 — Psalm 30

December 4 – rest and catch-up day

  1. December 5 — 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Ephesians 2:1-10; 2 Corinthians 4:15
  2. December 6 — Psalm 95
  3. December 7 — Psalm 118
  4. December 8 — 1 Samuel 8
  5. December 9 — Deuteronomy 8
  6. December 10 — Ephesians 1:3-14

December 11 – rest and catch-up day

  1. December 12 — 1 Corinthians 15:12 – 28, 35-58
  2. December 13 — Psalm 105
  3. December 14 — Psalm 104
  4. December 15 — Psalm 138
  5. December 16 — Psalm 145
  6. December 17 — Revelation 4:1-11; 7: 9-17

This Thirty-Day Gratitude Challenge came from the book, The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks: Reclaiming the Gifts of a Lost Spiritual Discipline, by Dustin Crowe, Moody Publishers, 2020

Share Via...