Thankful Thursday

tomorrow is Christmas!

I wonder if I will be able to sleep tonight

I remember my son's excitement when he was young

he always told us Christmas morning that he hadn't slept at all

I wonder if baby Jesus slept in Mary's womb the night before His birth  

or was He so keyed up with excitement about His mission that He was kicking and squirming

I am so thankful Jesus came

thankful for that name

the angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus because He would save His people from their sins

I'm thankful for the forgiveness available to me through Jesus

thankful for the peace that comes through belief in His name

I still remember the turmoil that filled my life as a younger man, and the peace that came when I finally acknowledged my need of God's forgiveness

although I still have my moments, I'm thankful I don't live in a constant state of unrest

I'm thankful Jesus truly is the Prince of Peace

I'm thankful He is my Wonderful Counselor

thankful He is the Word become flesh

I've been reading in Ps. 119 for the past week or so

God's word in one form or another is mentioned in every verse of this psalm

It has been enlightening to spend extended time meditating on these verses

and the author of Hebrews reminds us that after years of speaking to His people through prophets, God sent His Son to communicate His message to us

it's a message of hope, a message of joy, a message of reconciliation 

I'm thankful for God's word, thankful He still speaks to me through His word

I'm thankful for family

thankful for time to gather as family and build on the memories

thankful for technology that allows me to connect with those family members who are farther from home

thankful for the love that we share

thankful for grandchildren

thankful for the energy of little ones

I'm thankful for music

thankful I can use music as an avenue to express my thanks to the Father

it's a stormy night outside

I'm thankful for shelter, for a roof over my head and a furnace that provides heat

I'm thankful for friends who help to warm my spirit

thankful for the opportunities I've been given this year to serve my friends

I'm thankful God is my heavenly Father and one day will welcome me into His home

May you all experience a Christmas blessed with joy and peace!

Thankful Thursday

my God is a provider

I see this clearly in so many ways

especially on nights like this, when the temperature outside has plummeted

I'm thankful for His provision of shelter and heat

I'm thankful for warm clothing

as I look out my window on a winter wonderland

I'm thankful God provides strength

I did a lot of shoveling today

I had to shovel our driveway so that I could go to work

when I got to my job site, I had to shovel out a spot for parking my van and then shovel the public sidewalk of the house I was working at

I'm thankful for the job God has provided; thankful for the way He uses it to meet our financial needs

speaking of needs,

I'm thankful God provides for my spiritual needs

thankful He sent His Son into this world to be the Savior who paid the debt for my sin

He tells me in His word that He has given me everything I need for life and godliness

that is a powerful statement, and one filled with promise

I'm thankful for life, thankful God woke me up this morning

thankful He provided breath in my lungs

thankful for His design of my body

thankful for a heart that beats, sending oxygen filled cells throughout

and I'm thankful God has given me a new heart

thankful He took away my cold stony heart that acted in disobedience to Him

thankful He gives me the desire to know Him and love Him

I'm thankful for music

thankful God gives me songs of praise to express my love for Him

thankful for the creativity to capture my thoughts and feelings in song

I've been writing a new song this week

it starts out like this:

Now when the fullness of time had come the Father sent forth His Son into this broken world 

He came to give light to people who walked in night that they might find the way

For years they had wandered in darkness and sin not knowing where they should turn

But now God was providing an access for them to enter His eternal home

I'm so thankful that Jesus came

thankful God is my Immanuel

thankful He is for me

Christmas is a reminder of that truth