Thankful Thursday

I've been meditating on verses lately that talk about hope

this word has an entirely different meaning in Scripture than the way it is used by people today

Someone might say, "I hope it doesn't rain today."  or, "I hope I get a nice bonus this year."

in the first case, they might be thinking they want the weatherman to be wrong

in the second, there's an expressed desire for something they don't have yet

but the hope of the believer is Christ, the One who never disappoints, never fails, always points us to the Father

He is the "hope of glory" as we are told in Col. 1:27

the author of Hebrews puts it this way, "This hope we have an an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast..." 6:19

This is not a description of wishful thinking

It is our anchor; HE is our anchor

I am so thankful my soul is anchored in Christ!

as the hymn writer puts it, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness"

there is power in the blood!

I'm so thankful for the cleansing power of Jesus' blood

It washes me and makes me whiter than snow

It guarantees me sonship

I know beyond any doubt that I will one day be in the presence of God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, without any fear

In that moment He will see me, not as the sinful man that I am, but as a chosen son, covered by the blood of His Beloved Son!

Now that is something to be thankful for!!

I'm thankful for the peace of God that guards my heart and mind

I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit, the pledge of my inheritance

Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that I am sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise; 1:13

and although there have been times when I have made promises that I didn't keep

God has never failed to follow through on His promises

I'm thankful God is not like me

thankful His ways are much higher than my ways

I'm grateful He loves me with an everlasting love

I'm thankful He is faithful and His mercies are new every morning

as I remind myself off these things, I have hope

so thankful!  Not just on Thursday, but every day; every minute of every day!

Thankful Thursday

Got to spend the evening with my wife and mom-in-law 

I'm thankful for the tender spirit God has placed within my wife

Her loving care for those around her is an inspiration

She is a true servant

Every day I thank God for the favor He has shown me in allowing Chris to be my lifelong companion

Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle has always been a two-sided coin for me

I do enjoy driving (although as I age, I like it less and less)

but I also struggle with attitude when driving

other drivers can get on my nerves

traffic jams bring out the worst in me

or maybe its the truckers who insist on driving in the left lane when they can't even go the speed limit!

But as I was driving to work this morning, and dealing with snarled traffic, I found myself thankful for the time to communicate with God

And I'm thankful He helped me to have a positive spirit and good attitude in spite of the delays

Yesterday, I got a text from my son with a theological question

He was getting peppered with questions, and was struggling to come up with answers

I was thankful he asked me to speak into that situation

I'm also thankful for the way God is stretching him and bringing growth in his life as he serves this summer at Camp David of the Ozarks

my God is amazing!

I'm thankful for His patience

thankful He continues to pour out mercy and grace in my life

thankful He invites me to communicate with Him through prayer, and promises He will respond when I do

thankful He speaks to me through His word

Thankful Thursday

We had a nice gentle rain overnight and during the morning

I'm thankful for water

it helps me get clean, satisfies thirst, causes things to grow, and aids in cooking

I'm thankful for Jesus, the Living Water

He cleanses me

He told the Samaritan woman and His disciples that He removes thirst

His abiding presence brings growth in my life

I'm thankful He provided the perfect sacrifice for sinners like me

the writer of Hebrews tells me He was tempted just like I am, but never gave in to temptation

I'm thankful God is the creator

He made man in His image out of the dust of the earth, gave him the breath of life, and man became a living soul

I'm thankful for the way my body processes breath

Oxygen enters the lungs, is somehow transferred to the blood stream and carried to all the different parts, enabling them to function properly

It's an amazing design

each morning, I thank God for waking me up and giving me life and breath

I'm thankful for work, and for the strength and energy God gives to perform the work He has provided

I'm thankful for the enjoyment I get from renovating houses

It's such fun to see the transformation taking place

I'm hopeful God takes pleasure in bringing transformation in my life and the lives of His other children

And one day, I'm going to be like Him, when I see Him as He truly is without the fogginess of this life's struggles

I'm thankful He is preparing a home for me! 

Thankful Thursday

As I sit down to reflect on all I have to be thankful for

all kinds of thoughts are flooding my brain

God's been shaking up my world recently; opening my eyes to see Him more clearly, and identifying some areas that have hindered my growth

I'm very thankful for that, and for His patience in the process of shaping me

I'm thankful God is a creator of beauty

sitting outside this evening, watching Him paint the sky as the sun went down brought peace after a long day

spent some time praying with my wife

so thankful God's ears are always open to our cries

grateful I can lay my burdens before Him knowing He is more than willing to carry them for me

I visited the Creation Museum last Saturday

Part of the program was a movie about the 6 days of creation

In Genesis 1, over and over I read the phrase, "and God said..."

This world that we know, the stars that fill the night sky, the plants and animals we see all around us, the rising and setting of the sun; all of these came about by the power of God's spoken word

I'm thankful His words have that kind of power

As I've done some studying of verses that talk about God's word this week, it is compared to a 2-edged sword, a fire, a hammer, honey, and rain

so grateful God has given me His word, and thankful He uses it to instruct and encourage me

I'm thankful for my job, the opportunity to do work I enjoy, work with people I get along with, and have flexibility for engaging in things that are important to me

I'm thankful for transportation, for a car that runs well (took us the whole way to Missouri and back!)

I'm thankful for opportunities to serve others

I'm thankful for the night; a chance to go to sleep and get some rest so I can get up refreshed for a new day in the morning