Thankful Thursday

It's been a hard couple of weeks

as a family, we have watched Mom Martin steadily decline

her body is giving up its fight, and physical death draws near

but in the midst of that, I'm thankful for her faith

even when her words are barely discernible, her trust in Jesus is clear

her favorite song recently is "I will rise and go to Jesus"

and she will start singing it at any moment

I'm thankful too for family

I'm the in-law (some would say the outlaw!)

but I've seen the family rally together and support one another

and it blesses me to see the bond and to know my wife has the support of her siblings and dad

I'm thankful God is the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort

I'm thankful for the glimpses of His care I've seen these last couple of weeks

I'm thankful for His faithfulness

in a couple days I will turn 60

I've had a lot of years to experience God's faithfulness

and I can attest with the psalmist that I've not seen the righteous forsaken

as I age, I become more and more aware of my need of God's grace

I recognize how lacking I am in the wisdom department

but God promises to give grace and supply wisdom

and He delivers

I'm thankful He isn't reproachful when I express my needs

I'm thankful God is generous and kind

I'm thankful He is forgiving

I'm thankful for His transforming work throughout my life

although the next few weeks and months will be a grieving time

I'm thankful we don't sorrow as those who have no hope

I'm thankful Jesus has paved the way for me to have an eternal hope

and grateful He is preparing and eternal home for all those who put their trust in Him

just this morning, I was reading Ps. 121

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber...The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand."

these are precious promises that become even richer when we see the end of life approaching

I'm thankful God is a promise keeper

I'm thankful He is waiting on the other side to welcome Mom into her new home

I'm thankful God has blessed my life by sharing her with me

thankful for the memories I will carry with me 

     

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

Thankful Thursday

it's been a good day

time with family reflecting on God's good gifts

so thankful for the chance to connect with those I love

the weatherman proved himself incapable of predicting the weather again

although there was a thunderstorm when I first got up this morning, the day cleared off nicely

thankful for a chance to go to the park and take a nice stroll 

thankful for the beauty of God's creation and for eyesight to be able to enjoy it

I'm thankful for good food to eat, and for discipline to resist overindulging

I'm thankful for time in the wood shop with my son 

I'm thankful for the gift of music

God tells me that He is my strength and my song and He encourages me to sing a new song to Him, a song of praise

I'm thankful for the songs He gives me to sing

I'm thankful for a long weekend

thankful for refreshing time away from the rigors of work

I'm thankful for God's unchanging love for me

thankful for His greatest gift, the sacrifice of His Son as payment for my sin

I'm thankful He has adopted me into His family

thankful for the right to be called His child

I'm thankful Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

thankful He provides a way to the Father

I'm thankful He is the Bread of Life, and Living Water

thankful He satisfies my hunger and thirst

I'm thankful God doesn't deal with me as my sin deserves, but rather offers forgiveness and cleansing

I'm thankful God is my provider

thankful He has given me everything I need for life and godliness

I'm thankful for His transforming power at work in my life

it's not always comfortable, but it is always for my good and His glory

I'm thankful God is patient and kind

thankful He is slow to anger

I'm thankful God is merciful

thankful I'm a recipient of His grace

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!