Thanksgiving is a special time to be with family and friends and give thanks for all God had provided for us. But in order to move from the kiddie table to the grown up table we have to learn how to praise God EVEN THOUGH.
This video blessed me do much today that I had to share it with you. We all have stuff. It’s part of bring human. But will you praise God “even though”?
Thank you Lord, for family. Thank you for your peace and your presence and the gift of life. Thank you for love and joy and laughter. Thank you for all the blessings you have given us this Thanksgiving and forever. What a mighty God we serve! He’s a Good, Good Father!
Have you ever played with a magnet? It draws metal to it by its nature. It doesn’t have to think about it, do something special or do anything to earn it. it just does it, because that is what it was created to do.
Gratitude is a Magnet for Miracles!
Are you grateful today? If not, make a new choice today. Choose gratitude and watch and see what God will do!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Gratitude dispels fear and anxiety. Gratitude makes room for God to work!
Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(All pictures from Pinterest)
(Image source- AnExtraordinaryDay.net)
I have found one thing to get me through the tough times. And it seems it is not the easiest thing to do. It is certainly not the first thought that comes to mind. Yet it helps me move forward when I am stuck.
“Thank You Lord”
Yeah. Finding one good thing in any situation turns my attitude around. I don’t want to be one of those people stuck out in the desert for 40 years. I am ready Lord – to enter the Promised Land with an Attitude of Gratitude! What are you grateful for today?
Psalm 107
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
The password is “Thank You”.
It will let you in.
Bring your gift of laughter.
Come to the secret place today.
(Psalm 100:1-5 MSG)
On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.
Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.
For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.
I ask you to bless your children. We have been oppressed for too long. Break the Yoke of our enemies. They have no legal right to be here. We kick them out of this land that you have given us Lord.
Shine your light upon us Lord. You promised us we would not be put to shame. You called us to inherit a blessing. Enlarge our territories. Deliver us Lord as we step on the heels of our enemies. Bless our going out and our coming in. Provide provision as we bless Your Name, in Jesus Name.
Called to Blessing
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderearted, be courteous;[not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. (1 PETER 3:8-9 NKJV)
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (JAMES 1:25 NKJV)
But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (LUKE 11:25 NKJV)
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation. (PSALM 24:3-5 NKJV)
My Prayer For You:
Dear Lord,
Today we thank You. Thank you for being You. We applaud YOU, You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Thank you – we love you Lord!
On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
PSALM 100:1-5 The Message (MSG)
trials, tests, suffering…how could this possibly help me? Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of this season? What good could possibly come from this?
The trying of our faith can be exasperating. It can even drive us to tears. I am in such a season this month. How about you? It has been a month of delays. yeah, the check is the mail sort of month. My husband is working his butt off, and this seems to be the month that our buyers have all decided to pay late. 15 day notices become 30 days, etc. And the ex is behind on his child support too, as usual. Gotta love it. I am out of work, still doing the PT thing.
So I ask, God, what is the point of this? Should we see how high the checkbook can fly? Yep there it goes, up on a wing and a prayer! Yeah right. So, I pray. And look for a desk job. They have told me I can’t stand on my leg for longer than 30 minutes at a time. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to run or jog again. So I sit, and wait, and pray. Now I know this is only temporary. God has always made a way, He has always been faithful. Yet, I can’t help but wonder, why am I here in this valley again?
I have to say I have grown. In the old days I would be freaking out. Locking myself in the bathroom, rocking, crying – I was kind of a mess back then. Yet today, it is different. I know that God has it. He promised to provide the ram in the bush. So I wait. I still can’t say I like it, but I am not a basket case. I guess today I don’t measure my worth by what is in my checkbook.
So, ok back to my question – what is the purpose of a trial. Let me share a story. a few weeks ago we had a Bible Study and the topic of Divorce came up. Now hey, I am a little too experienced in that department! So I shared the “how and why” of my story. Anyway, afterwards a friend came up to me and said, “Hey, I was married and divorced before too. What do you think the point of that was?” Now I didn’t really have an answer, but I opened up and said, “You know what, I don’t know. But I do know that if my first marriage had worked out I wouldn’t be here – in church, playing piano on a Sunday morning.” The truth is that what I had spoken didn’t hit me until today. If not for my trials, my sufferings, my tests, I would have never sought out God. And I would have never needed Jesus for a Savior. If I had no needs would I pray? If I didn’t go through a “drought” season would I have compassion on my brothers/sisters when they go through it? If I didn’t know what it felt like would I have even seen it in someone else?
So, like that song BLESSINGS by Laura’s Story,
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
1 Peter 1:3-9
New Living Translation (NLT)
The Hope of Eternal Life
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
Dear Lord,
Thank you, for anything you needed to use to build our faith, and draw us closer to You. No, it may not have been the path we would have chosen, but we are your kids, and we love and trust you Daddy. We know you love us and you always provide for us. Thank you for helping us see. We trust you Daddy, in Jesus Name.