{"id":14315,"date":"2026-03-22T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=14315"},"modified":"2026-02-06T08:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:26:08","slug":"growing-in-gratitude-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/22\/growing-in-gratitude-daily\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing in Gratitude Daily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Two-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Instagram-Post-So-then-just-as-you-received-Christ-Jesus-as-Lord-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Instagram-Post-So-then-just-as-you-received-Christ-Jesus-as-Lord-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Instagram-Post-So-then-just-as-you-received-Christ-Jesus-as-Lord-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Instagram-Post-So-then-just-as-you-received-Christ-Jesus-as-Lord-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Instagram-Post-So-then-just-as-you-received-Christ-Jesus-as-Lord.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once we receive Christ, Paul instructs the Colossians and us to continue to live for Him. The powerful moment of salvation, when we give our lives to Jesus, marks the starting point of a lifelong journey of transformation. Receiving the Holy Spirit, He will guide our steps as we spend time developing our relationship with Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m willing to bet you didn\u2019t propose over the phone?\u201d When Marshall University lost its entire football team in a tragic airplane crash in 1970, it needed the NCAA\u2019s approval to play first-year students so it could field a team the following year. When the university president received no, after no, Jack Lengyel, head coach, challenged the president with that question. As a result, the president goes to the NCAA, asks for their help in person, and receives the approval needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we don\u2019t have a personal relationship with the Savior, we can\u2019t live rooted and built up in Him. Jesus always answers our prayers, but if we don\u2019t start the conversation, He can\u2019t intervene. Phoning in a relationship with Christ doesn\u2019t work. He knows the condition of our hearts and the motivation behind our actions. The Lord knows whether we live for Him or ourselves. And as a gentleman, Jesus doesn\u2019t go where He\u2019s not wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m willing to bet that if you don\u2019t spend time with the Lord regularly, you won\u2019t experience the blessings He has for you. No one wants to walk through heaven\u2019s gates and see all the blessings they missed because they didn\u2019t stay rooted in Christ. Roots dig deep, clawing through the dirt, growing larger and stronger as they tap into the living water, which nourishes them and helps them grow even more. The more rooted we become, the more fruit we will produce. Tall maples have roots no one sees, the system intricate, complex, and sturdy; they withstand the storm winds with ease. As Christ\u2019s followers, the more rooted we become in Him, the easier we\u2019ll navigate life\u2019s storms because of the hope we have in Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Root yourself in the Savior, dig deep into God\u2019s word, and allow it to transform. You will never regret the time you spend with Jesus. Let scripture draw you into an intimate relationship with the Savior as you apply its principles to your life. Discover God\u2019s truth, letting Him build you up, and giving you new life in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Journal Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Describe what \u201crooted in Christ\u201d means to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you had to describe your faith roots, what would you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">How can you begin growing deeper roots today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Application:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Root yourself in thanksgiving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two-minute read. Once we receive Christ, Paul instructs the Colossians and us to continue to live for Him. The powerful moment of salvation, when we give our lives to Jesus, marks the starting point of a lifelong journey of transformation. Receiving the Holy Spirit, He will guide our steps as we spend time developing our&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/22\/growing-in-gratitude-daily\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Growing in Gratitude Daily<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14315"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14321,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14315\/revisions\/14321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}