Thankful Thursday

It's been a few weeks since I posted

I'm thankful to be back at work, having something to fill my day

at the same time, I wonder if I grew through the experience of being out of work for a month

Did I use that time profitably, or was it wasted?

I am thankful God provided opportunities to serve during that time

I am thankful for the way my wife and I were able to spend more time in prayer together

I am thankful for music, and time to sit at the piano and play and sing praise to my God

I even wrote a song during the shutdown from Ps. 103

the chorus goes like this:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all He's done!

God has done great and mighty things

I'm thankful He is the creator

I'm thankful for the beauty He has placed all around me

Easter came and went during the lockdown

I'm thankful for the gift of eternal life in Jesus

thankful He gave Himself as a ransom for sinners like me

thankful He is the author and perfecter of my faith

I'm thankful that God has breathed life into this mound of dust

I was talking today with a friend about how God wants us to get to the point of recognizing we are nothing

Scripture tells me there is no one who does good, no one who is righteous

but I'm thankful Christ has clothed me in His righteousness

He covers me with His goodness

I'm thankful Jesus is my intercessor, sitting at the right hand of the Father, praying for me

what a glorious thought

I'm thankful God is a gracious and merciful Father

thankful He doesn't treat me as my sin deserves

I'm thankful He daily reminds me of His love and care

I'm thankful He wakes me up each morning, giving me life and breath

I'm thankful I am a recipient of His grace

Thankful Thursday

I'm now into my third week of work stoppage because of covid-19 precautionary measures

It's a confusing time

some of my friends are still working while others of us have been told we can't

there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the differences

I'm a hands on kind of guy

I like to get things done, make an impact

but most of that has been taken from me in these last few weeks

social distancing is the new normal

limited travel is being encouraged

what does God have for me in all of this?

one thing I was thinking about today:

Christ endured much worse for me than anything I'm experiencing 

He gave up all of His glory in heaven to come and live as a pauper here on earth

He sacrificed His place of honor to hang in dishonor on a cross

He who never sinned was treated as a common criminal

tomorrow is known as Good Friday

a day when we remember the supreme sacrifice Jesus made

taking on God the Father's wrath, experiencing separation from Him as He paid the price for mankind's sin

I'm so thankful for Jesus--His life, death, and resurrection

I'm thankful for the record we have of His life in the four gospels

thankful for the exemplary life He lived

I'm thankful He calls Himself the Good Shepherd

thankful He is still calling His sheep, still leading me in the way I ought to go

I'm thankful for this time of year

a time when new growth is bursting forth all around me

I'm thankful for the reminder it is that just as Jesus burst forth from the tomb on the third day,

I now can experience newness of life

I'm thankful God is good and ready to forgive

thankful He does not treat me as my sin deserves

I'm thankful God is a loving Father who tenderly cares for His children

I'm thankful Jesus understands my weaknesses, that He faced the same temptations I face, yet without sin

I'm thankful for life and breath

thankful for a healthy body

thankful for my loving family

I'm thankful for good friends who encourage me and pray for me

I'm thankful I serve a risen Savior

I'm thankful He is still in the business of changing lives, softening hearts, and renewing minds

Thankful Thursday

another week of lockdown

what am I learning through this experience?

One thing is for sure: no human has any idea how long this will continue to affect us or what the end result will be

everyone has their own take on the situation

I have a choice in how I respond

will I get upset and uptight, or will I stand upright and continue to trust?

I'm thankful God is the same yesterday, today, and forever

I'm thankful His promises haven't changed

thankful He holds me in His hand, and there is nothing that can pluck me away from Him

I'm thankful God is holy

thankful all His works are done in faithfulness

thankful God's lovingkindness fills the whole earth

I believe God is revealing Himself in this time

in Isaiah 45 God says, "I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God.  I will gird you, though you have not known Me; that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me.  I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these."

He wants all men to know that He alone is God

this pandemic has helped to show us how helpless we really are

If God wanted to, He could wipe us out

it is because of His mercy that we are not consumed

how thankful I am for God's mercy

I'm thankful He is a God who delights in reconciling people to Himself

and I believe at the very heart of this situation that is God's purpose

He's getting our attention and wants us to be reconciled to Him

later in the book of Isaiah, it tells us that all of us have turned our back on God and chosen to go our own way

and in Ephesians, we are told that outside of a relationship with Christ, we were dead in our sins

But God,

I'm so thankful for that phrase

I was headed for destruction...but God

I was hopelessly floundering through life...but God

I was trapped in a spiral of sin...but God

I was full of anger and hatred...but God

in the richness of His mercy, driven by His great love for mankind, sacrificed His only Son to free me from that bondage of sin

I am thankful for the cross, where Jesus suffered the wrath of God for me

thankful His blood cleanses me

thankful I am now clothed with His righteousness

I am thankful for these disturbing times that force me to come face to face with my desperate need for God's intervention in my life

I am thankful I don't need to fear or give in to panic

I am thankful my hope is secure

I am thankful I am a recipient of God's grace

thankful He calls me His son 

thankful God gives me courage to follow Him even when walking through the valley of death