Thankful Thursday

As I met with my mentor on Saturday, we talked about how God is like a sculptor.  He is shaping me into the man He wants me to be, chiseling, filing, and sanding in just the right places to create a beautiful work of art.  The process is lifelong, and sometimes even painful.  But the end result will be a vessel that brings Him glory.

He knows me completely.  Even before I was born, He saw who I was and had a plan for how He would take me from a man of sin without any thought of Him to a person of worship.  Just like Michelangelo saw king David in the piece of marble even before he started the process of creating a masterpiece, God saw me, and began patiently removing the parts that didn't belong.

I'm thankful God has the blueprint.  He doesn't need my input.  Sometimes I'm confused by the pieces He chisels off, thinking they looked good, or really belonged.  But I need to submit to His refining process.

I'm thankful for God's patience with me.  Even when I resist at times, He continues to work, continues to refine.  He is for me.  What a wonderful truth.  The maker of the universe, the One who placed each star in the heavens, and knows all their names, is intimately involved in my life.  He loves me with an everlasting love.  He sent His Beloved Son to suffer the agony of separation from Himself as He bore my sins on the cross, so that through faith I would not need to suffer that punishment for my sin, but enjoy fellowship with Him eternally. 

I'm thankful He is my Shepherd; going out ahead of me, calling me to follow, showing me where to find food and water for my soul.  At times His voice grows dim.  Not because He has stopped calling, but as a result of me being distracted.  

I'm thankful He isn't controlled by my response.  And I'm grateful His ears are always open to my cries.  I don't have to worry that He will be distracted when I call out to Him.

I'm thankful for His grace and mercy, poured out abundantly in my life.

Thankful Thursday

As I pause on this Thursday evening to reflect on all I have to be thankful for

I'm reminded how blessed I am to be a part of God's family

I'm thankful He rescued me out of the darkness of sin

thankful I have hope as an anchor for my soul

thankful Jesus came in obedience to the Father

thankful for brothers and sisters who would otherwise just be strangers

thankful for a Father who loves me

a Father who corrects and instructs me

I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit who guides and helps me

I know how lost I was before I met Jesus that January night in 1980

I'm thankful God had mercy on me, allowed me to see His grace

I'm thankful He had prepared my heart to repent and receive forgiveness

I'm thankful for people who have encouraged me along my journey

I'm thankful for a new opportunity for growth

on Saturday morning, I will start meeting with a mentor

I'm looking forward to how God will use this in my life 

I'm thankful He patiently works

transforming me and continuing His sanctification process

I'm thankful God walks with me each step of the way

His presence is a comfort, and His wisdom sure comes in handy when I'm facing some difficult situation

I'm thankful there's never anything that surprises Him or stumps Him

I know He knows

I'm His grateful son!

Thankful Thursday

Spent some time at the piano this evening

playing and singing some older hymns and a song I wrote from Ps. 46

time well spent, focusing on God's grandeur and His promises

I'm thankful for music, for the way it has an ability to minister to my soul

I'm thankful God created music

I'm reminded of that each morning as I hear the songs of birds singing their praise

I'm thankful He has put a new song in my mouth

I was singing and whistling as I worked today

I'm thankful for the difference that makes in my day, helping me focus on God and lifting praise to Him

He is worthy of all honor and glory and praise!

I'm thankful for His mighty power

thankful He is kind and gentle

I'm thankful for His faithfulness and mercy

I'm thankful God is sovereign and all knowing

I'm thankful He is patient with me

I'm thankful for the answers to prayer I've seen this week

thankful God invites me to make my requests known to Him and promises to respond when I do

I'm thankful for the beautiful spot God has provided for me to live

thankful for the chance to sit in my backyard a couple evenings this week and just enjoy some down time with my wife as we watched God paint beauty in the evening sky

I'm thankful God designed our bodies to be refreshed by rest

thankful when I wait on Him, He renews my strength

Thankful Thursday

Today is National Day of Prayer

As I do each morning, I started the day off praying with my wife

I'm very thankful for the commitment we share to make that a priority in our relationship

I'm thankful for the privilege of prayer

thankful for God's promise that when I pray He hears and responds

I'm thankful for the power that is released when I pray

Because ultimately, prayer is acknowledging my need for God to be in control of my life and circumstances

God is sovereign.  He is in charge.  He controls everything anyway, so it just makes sense for me to acknowledge that and yield to His control

I'm thankful He is patient with me when I'm slow to understand

I'm thankful God invites me to bring my requests to Him

I'm thankful Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father right now, praying for me

I'm thankful God's Spirit prays for me when I can't find the words to say

prayer is a gift

I want to receive it and put it to good use.

Thankful Thursday

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns

I can't see around the next bend in the road

I'm not promised another day or even another hour for that matter

But Scripture tells me that God has determined the number of my days even before I was born

I'm thankful for the confidence this gives me

I don't have to worry about what's ahead, because He knows 

And I trust Him to be faithful and true in all circumstances

I'm thankful that God never changes

I'm thankful He is holy and righteous; there's not even a hint of evil in Him

I'm thankful God is the giver and sustainer of life

He is the one who wakes me up each morning with life and breath

And one day I will awake in my eternal home, forever with Jesus, the One who died that I might live

I don't know when that will be, but He does, and I'm thankful

I'm thankful God is compassionate and gracious

thankful His mercies are new every morning

It is because of His mercies that I'm not consumed

I'm thankful God never grows weary or tired

that's certainly different from me!  I'm reminded often of my frailty

I experience aches and pains, I come home at the end of my work day, thankful for the chance to sit down and rest

I call ibuprofen my appetizer  

again, Scripture tells me that one day I will receive a new body, there will be no more pain or sickness, no cause for sorrow

I'm thankful for health and energy, but definitely looking forward to a new model with no need to take medication

I'm thankful for family; my physical family as well as the spiritual family I've been blessed with

I'm thankful for close relationships with my family and friends

thankful for the love and support and encouragement that comes through relationship

do I ever wonder if life could be better?  Sure, but I'm not maintaining that frame of mind

I'm stepping back and taking moment to remember 

every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from a heavenly Father who loves me like no one else ever could

and my life is full of these good and perfect gifts

I'm thankful!

Thankful Thursday

Tomorrow is Good Friday

It certainly turned out good for me

but it was anything but good for Jesus.

He was beaten and abused, falsely accused, and then nailed to a cross

The physical agony was nothing compared to what He was about to face

As He hung between earth and heaven, bearing our sin as the Passover Lamb

God, His heavenly Father, with whom He had always enjoyed perfect unity, turned His face away,

unable to look at Him because of the sin

In that moment, in anguish, Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

But He knew!  It was the sole purpose for which He had come to earth.

Through His death and resurrection, He brought salvation and redemption to all who believe

On this Thursday

I'm so very thankful  God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son in order that I might have life

I'm thankful Jesus was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross

I'm thankful He experienced the wrath of God against my sin so I wouldn't have to

I'm thankful new and abundant life is a reality for me and for all who receive Him

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

I'm thankful for His holiness and righteousness

I'm thankful for grace

I'm thankful I don't have to somehow try to be good enough to approach this holy God

it would be impossible

any righteousness I could cobble together would fall way short

I'm thankful for the joy and peace that comes from knowing Jesus

I'm thankful Sunday is coming!

thankful Jesus isn't still dead

thankful for an empty grave

thankful Jesus is ALIVE!

Thankful Thursday

 

 

As I pause and reflect on this past week

 

I'm thankful for God's sustaining grace

 

I'm grateful He invites me to stand firm in His strength

 

I've faced some of the enemy's schemes this week

 

but thankfully, came through them victoriously

 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised when temptations arise

 

after all, satan does lurk around seeking to devour whomever he can

 

But as Scripture says, "Greater is He who is in [me] than he who is in the world."

 

I'm very thankful for that

 

I'm thankful the good news of the gospel is for everyone, not just the people of Israel

 

thankful that in His mercy, God chooses to pour out His grace on all who believe

 

as I've dealt with the temptations this week, I'm thankful I've been able to communicate with my wife about what is going on

 

and I'm grateful beyond words for the way she supports and encourages me

 

She is my perfect gift from God, an expression of His favor in my life

 

I'm thankful for the answers to prayer I've been experiencing recently

 

I know God is always listening and responding to prayer, but it is very encouraging when I'm able to see specific answers to specific prayers

 

and it gives me courage to continue to seek God's face for my every need

 

as I've spent some time in the Psalms this week, I've been encouraged to just take time to be still and wait for God

 

I'm thankful His timing is always perfect

 

It's not always the timing I was looking for, but He does know best and I've learned I can trust Him

 

I'm thankful for His ongoing faithfulness in my life!