Thankful Thursday

it's been a troubling year

the pandemic has brought out the best and worst in people

and I'm not sure on which side of the line I fall

there is so much about what's happening that I don't agree with

and yet God's principles for respecting and obeying those in authority still hold true

knowing how to flesh that out continues to create a tension in my spirit

in the midst of all that, I still know I have much to be thankful for

I have a God who never changes

His love for me is everlasting

He offers me grace and mercy in abundance

He gives me songs of praise to sing daily

I'm thankful for God's patience with me

I'm thankful He knows my heart

I'm thankful He calls me His son

I'm thankful God is my strength

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

I'm thankful God chooses to use me in His service 

I often feel very unworthy of that calling, but He reminds me it's not about me

I'm God's ambassador, pointing people to the work of Christ on the cross, not myself

I'm thankful for my family

God has blessed me with children and grandchildren

He gave me a pair of brothers and a pair of sisters who support me in my journey

He showered me with favor in giving me my wonderful wife

and threw in my in-laws as a bonus

I'm thankful God answers prayer

it's been encouraging to see Him work in specific ways recently as I've brought my requests to Him

I'm thankful for shelter

It was pretty cold this morning, and there was a stiff breeze blowing

I had to work out in it for a few hours and my hands were getting numb from the cold

it reminded me how thankful I am to have a roof over my head and a furnace to keep our house warm

I'm thankful for food

I'll admit it: I really enjoy eating!

I'm thankful for my wife who gets up each morning and packs my lunch and usually has delicious meals ready for me to eat when I come home from work

I'm thankful for God's word

thankful it is living and active

thankful God reveals Himself in His word, and gives instruction on how I can be more like Him

I'm thankful for opportunities to share His word with others

I'm thankful for sleep, which is what I need to do now.

Thankful Thursday

as I pause this evening and reflect on the goodness of my God I'm reminded of the ten lepers

all of them were healed, but only one returned to express his gratitude to Jesus

I find that it is very easy to be like those other nine

I'm full of requests for my Savior, but often am so focused on the next ask that I don't take the time to say thanks

I am thankful God hears and responds to my prayers

I'm thankful He doesn't always say yes

I'm thankful He knows my needs even better than I do, and sometimes recognizes that what I'm asking for would not be beneficial

I'm thankful God knows my heart

the prophet Ezekiel informs us that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked

and that is true

at times my heart tries to lead me down a path of destruction

but God is transforming my heart

He wants to give me a new heart that yearns for Him

but I need to receive that, not fight against it

God is mindful of the struggle 

Jesus Himself had that same struggle in the garden the night He was crucified

wanting an escape from what was coming, and yet submitting to the Father's will rather than pursuing His own

I'm thankful Jesus had that kind of obedience

thankful He went to the cross, took my sin and shame on His shoulders, experienced God's wrath over sin in my place

I'm thankful for the forgiveness that is available to me because of His sacrifice

I'm thankful God now sees me through the filter of Jesus' blood

thankful He separates me from my sin

I'm thankful God has given me everything I need for life and godliness

so grateful I can now walk in newness of life

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

I'm thankful He is faithful

even when I'm faithless, He remains the same

I'm thankful God's truth is not dependent on my belief

His character does not allow for any shift

I'm thankful God is not an insecure being, hoping for the acknowledgement of His people

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever

He doesn't need me or anyone else to give Him a pep talk to continue being God

I'm thankful for God's word, living and active and piercing in its truth

thankful for the way God uses His word to guide my thoughts

thankful for the instruction He gives in His word

I'm thankful God is a generous giver

one of His good gifts to me is the friendships He has blessed me with

I'm thankful for those who walk this journey of life with me

thankful for the way God is using them to encourage me in my walk with Him

I'm thankful God has made me a part of His story

grateful He has called me out of darkness to experience His glorious light

Thankful Thursday

As I pause this evening to consider what I have to be thankful for my heart is full

I have seen God working, so thankful for that!

thankful He gives me eyes to see and ears to hear His voice

I've been challenged and encouraged by God's word the last couple of weeks in some specific areas I sense God pushing me to allow His transforming work to bring change and healing

I'm thankful for the power of God's word

thankful for His patience with me as I stumble along in this life

thankful that God holds me in His hand, and although I do stumble at times, I am not hurled headlong because He is the One who holds and supports me

I'm thankful for music, and the ability to use music as a form of worship

I'm thankful God gives me a song

the psalmist says that God is our strength and our song

I'm thankful that I have been experiencing both of these truths recently

Work has been challenging and physically taxing, but relying on God, I have been able to keep plugging away

I'm thankful for the expression of God's favor in my life; specifically as seen in my wife

so grateful for the companion she is as we journey together

I'm very thankful for all that she does to make my life enjoyable

I tend to be a messy person, but our home does not reflect that.  She is quite the opposite and works hard to keep our home clean and comfortable

I'm thankful that I am well fed as she takes the time and attention to prepare delicious meals for us

I'm thankful for the bond that we have in Christ and the commitment we both have to beginning each day praying with and for each other

and I'm thankful that she prays for me throughout the day

I'm sure God has spared me from many disasters as a result of answering her prayers

I'm thankful God is my provider.  He faithfully meets all my needs and even gives me some of my wants

I'm thankful God is sovereign, ruling over the nations and all of creation

I'm thankful I'm a recipient of God's mercy and grace

He doesn't give me what I deserve, but instead pours out His riches in Christ Jesus daily

I'm thankful for His everlasting love

I'm thankful when this brief life is passed, I have an eternal home waiting for me in the presence of my Savior!

Thankful Thursday

Wow!

It's been almost a month since I stayed awake enough on Thursday evening to take some time to count my blessings and put down in writing the things I'm thankful for

It certainly isn't because I'm not thankful

life happens, and along with that energy at times can get zapped

the last time I posted, I had just received the news of my second grandson's birth

and I was recovering from my recent injury from coming in contact with my table saw blade

I'm thankful to say that my thumb is recovering nicely

I'm thankful the pain from that injury has been minimal and I've been able to carry on with normal activity

I'm also thankful I had the chance to go out to Missouri and meet my new grandson

I'm thankful for the gift of time

thankful I got to take lots of walks with my 2 year old grandson Hudson

thankful for the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a little child

I'm thankful for safe travel out and back, and thankful my wife, who stayed out an extra week, had an uneventful flight home

this morning as I was driving to work in the fog, I had a very close call, almost colliding with another driver.  So I'm especially thankful for safety this evening

On my return trip from Missouri, I did something very different.  I'm typically one of those people who is just looking to conquer the trip--minimal stops just when necessary to refill the gas tank.  And we make the run out to Missouri, a 14 hour trip, in one day.  But this time, traveling alone, I decided to spread the trip over 3 days. I stopped and chatted with an old friend over his lunch break on Friday afternoon, stopped in Indianapolis to visit with an uncle and cousins Friday evening, and hung out with them on Saturday morning until around 11.  Then I met up with a pastor friend in Ohio and visited with him and his wife for about an hour and a half before driving to the home of a friend from college in western PA.  I spent the night at his home, visited with him for a couple hours Sunday morning, and then completed my trip home.

I'm thankful for the time I had with each of those people.

thankful for God's provision of friends and family

thankful for family that is also friends

I haven't always experienced that, so it brings a special kind of appreciation

as I mentioned earlier, I've been falling asleep a lot in the evenings

I'm thankful for my job, thankful that it is physically taxing, which tends to help me have no problem falling asleep

I'm thankful for the way God has designed our bodies to be refreshed by sleep

I'm also thankful for His promise that those who wait on Him will renew their strength

I'm thankful for those times He gives me to just be still before Him and be rejuvenated

I'm thankful for God's invitation to come to Him when I'm burdened and just worn out

thankful that He offers rest to the weary

I'm thankful that Jesus is the Living Water and the Bread of Life

thankful that He satisfies my hungering soul

Thankful Thursday

This week has had its ups and downs

but one thing I've often said, and been convinced of through my life experiences is that there is always something for which I can be thankful

no matter the circumstances, regardless of how dark and bleak things may look, in spite of trying times and crushing weights

God is good all the time

and He continues to extend His grace to me in multiple ways

my common response when someone asks how I'm doing is, "Better than I deserve."

I don't say that lightly. I know what Scripture says

"The wages of sin is death..."

and like everyone else on this planet, I am a sinner, and as such I deserve death

so the fact that I'm alive and breathing and able to hear your question means that I'm doing better than I deserve

when I responded that way to a nurse this afternoon, she paused and then asked, "Really?"

sitting there, with my thumb encased in gauze and medical tape, I could honestly say, "YES!"

I'm thankful to still have a thumb on my left hand

it's a bit damaged at the moment, and will probably be a long time in healing, but I'm very grateful it is still attached and mostly functional

a bit of back story: Monday morning my thumb decided to tangle with my table saw blade. The blade won!

I'm thankful it just took off the end of my thumb, and didn't affect the fingernail or cut into the bone at all

on the up side, early Wednesday morning, we received a call from our daughter letting us know that our second grandson had arrived.  What wonderful news!

children are a blessing from the Lord, and I'm thankful God showered blessing on Carl and Allison by giving them another child to love and care for

I'm thankful I will get to meet William Owen Eldredge Sunday evening

my lawn mower decided it was tired and quit running on Saturday

my friend, Dean, stopped in this evening 

I'm thankful for the friends God has given me

they all contribute to my life in some way

as we were talking, I mentioned that I couldn't get my lawn mower to start and was describing what it was doing

we strolled around to the back of the house, and after a bit of tinkering, the mower started!

now I can mow my yard before we leave on our trip to Missouri!

while we messed with the mower, we also were able to talk about what's going on in our lives

I'm grateful I can share life with others, that I'm not on some kind of solo journey

God has given to me abundantly, not only what I need, but also much of what I want

I'm thankful for His patience and steadfast love for me

I'm thankful He doesn't deal with me as my sin deserves

I'm thankful God gives and sustains life!

I am a blessed man   

Thankful Thursday

for a number of years now, I have struggled with my vision

having one eye that is always sending a blurred image to the brain while the other one tries to bring clarity to the situation presents some unique challenges

and for the past year, reading had become very difficult to the point where I avoided it as much as possible

but after visiting my eye doctor last week and making some changes in my glasses prescription, I ordered new glasses

they arrived on Tuesday, and I'm delighted with the improvement

the simplest way I can put it is that I can now tell the difference between a comma and a semi-colon

I'm thankful to be reading again without the strain

I'm thankful for the report that my right eye is stable and not continuing to deteriorate

I'm thankful God gives wisdom to doctors to know how to help 

I won't ever have perfect vision until I get my new glorified body on the other side

but for now I'm grateful for some improvement

I'm thankful for Jesus, who opens the eyes of the blind

in a small way I can identify with physical blindness

but in a larger way I understand the blinding influence of the devil

he comes to deceive, kill and destroy any who would choose to follow Christ

I'm thankful I am held in the hand of the creator of the universe

He is my Rock and my Deliverer

He is my Refuge

I'm thankful God's mercies are new every morning

I'm thankful God is a provider

He knows all my needs even better than I know myself

I'm thankful God gives strength to the weak

thankful He gives rest to the weary

I'm thankful God has clothed me in His righteousness

I know that if I had to count on my own good deeds, I'd drown in a heartbeat

Thankful Thursday

 

I've been spending time in Psalm 71 this week

There so much truth in this passage to be thankful for

I'm thankful God is my refuge and my rescuer

I'm thankful there's no need to feel shame in that

although some people would consider faith a crutch, they have no idea the blessing they are missing out on by disregarding faith

I'm thankful God has a listening ear, He hears when I call out to Him

I'm thankful God provides a place for me to which I can always come

I'm thankful God gives me hope and confidence

I'm grateful He is the One who sustains my life

I'm thankful God is full of righteousness

thankful He gives salvation to those who trust in Him

I'm thankful God is my teacher

I'm thankful God revives me, that He picks me up when I stumble

I'm thankful God is my comforter

These truths cause me to offer up praise to God

they put a song in my heart

they give me opportunity to proclaim His greatness

I'm thankful God gives me opportunities to tell of His glory

to speak of His mercy and grace

just the other day, I had an occasion to engage with a coworker in a discussion about goodness

he was of the opinion that some sins are unforgivable

I asked Him where he would draw that line

I'm thankful God saw my need and sent Jesus to redeem me from my wickedness

as I conversed with my coworker, I expressed to Him how desperately I am in need of a Savior

I'm thankful God poured out His wrath on Jesus rather than me

so grateful for grace and mercy