Thankful Thursday

The steps of a man are established by the Lord;

And He delights in his way.

When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong;

Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

Ps. 37:23,24

I am so grateful that God holds my hand

I can stand today, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, only by His grace

there is no merit of my own; nothing in myself of which to boast

but I am thankful God has reached out to me in my brokenness

thankful He offers me life when I deserved death

thankful He has exchanged my turmoil for His peace

thankful He has replaced my weakness with His strength

thankful He has turned my mourning into joy

thankful He has given me a garment of praise where once I was clothed with a spirit of heaviness

I am thankful He has made me His servant

thankful for the opportunities He gives to reach out to others in need

thankful for the doors He opens to allow me to minister 

thankful He invites me to be His ambassador, representing Him in a world that desperately needs a Savior

I'm thankful He has gifted me with skills I can use to bless those around me

I'm thankful He is a shield about me as I go forth in His name

I'm thankful He knows the road ahead and promises to walk it with me, to never leave me or forsake me

I'm thankful He has poured out His favor on me in allowing me to find a wife

thankful He has heaped blessing on me in allowing me to be a father

I'm thankful He has taken my feeble efforts as a husband and father and covered my family with His grace

I'm thankful for air to breath, beauty to behold, scents to take in, the song of the birds to enjoy, food to taste

thankful He has created me with senses that allow me to experience life 

I'm thankful for time; it truly is a gift

thankful He gives wisdom and discernment in how to invest that gift and be a good steward of all He has given me

I'm thankful for love

the love of a Father for His son that prompts Him to search for me, offer me forgiveness and mercy, stand beside me and teach me, and encourage me to find my way home

Thankful Thursday

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear it and rejoice.

O magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

Ps.  34:1-3

For I proclaim the name of the Lord;

Ascribe greatness to our God!

The Rock!  His work is perfect,

For all His ways are just;

A God of faithfulness and without injustice,

Righteous and upright is He.

Deut.  32:3,4

Life can get a little sideways sometimes

It is filled with many twists and turns and unexpected events

sometimes it is easy for me to become distracted by those moments

rather than focusing on my Lord and Savior

like Peter, I begin to stare at the mounting storm

and it starts to take me under

but when I come to my senses, I cry out to Him and He hears my cry

and delivers me out of all my distresses!

I am thankful that I have had work for the past eight weeks

I'm thankful God has provided strength and wisdom in performing the tasks of my job

I'm thankful for the interaction I've been able to enjoy with coworkers

I'm thankful for bosses who have a long-term vision for their company

I'm thankful for their efforts to create a culture of encouragement and support within the company

I'm thankful for the changes that are coming after tomorrow

I'm thankful God remains the same throughout the changes of my life

I'm thankful He knows my needs, and promises to meet my needs as I seek Him and His kingdom first

I've been meditating on the above verses quite a bit over the last week or so

and I've been praying that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be pleasing to God

I've been looking for opportunities to proclaim Him and His goodness

He is the Rock!  I'm thankful I can stand firm on His foundation

He is the author of salvation

He is the lover of my soul

His is the God who delights in reconciling people to Himself

He is abundant in mercy and full of grace

I'm thankful God continues to reach out to me and beckon me to come to His place of forgiveness and rest

I've also been thinking about the verse in James:

"So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.  For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.  Jame 2:12,13

I'm thankful God's mercy is new every morning

I'm thankful He gives me opportunities to extend mercy to others

I'm thankful for the times when I get it right 

believe me when I say there are too many times when I don't

times when I get impatient and prideful in my responses

I'm thankful God slows me down in those moments, taps me on the shoulder, and reminds me He desires a better way for me

I'm thankful for God's amazing grace that saved a wretch like me!