Thankful Thursday

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

These words from Psalm 86 are a precious reminder of God's heart for His people

I'm thankful for a God who is good, whose intentions for His people are always good

I'm thankful God is a forgiver of sin

thankful He does not keep a record of my failures

I'm thankful for a God who is overflowing with love for His people

and I'm thankful I am one of His people

thankful He has chosen me to be His son and adopted me into His family

I'm thankful for a God who listens when I call on Him

His ears are always open to my cries

It's been a week of seeing God respond as I have called on Him

I'm thankful for the opportunities to pray for others

thankful for the trust of friends who are in need

I want to be known as someone who it is safe to share struggles with

I know I can't do much to help alleviate the problems people face

but I can talk to the One who has all the answers and is available to listen and respond

just today, a couple of my friends reached out to me asking for prayer

what a privilege

I'm thankful God woke me up this morning, giving me life and breath for another day

every day is a gift

I choose whether I'm going to rejoice in the gift or complain that it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for

today I choose JOY

 

Thankful Thursday

I sit here on this Thursday evening with a grateful heart

I'm thankful Jesus is my Savior

thankful He intercedes for me at the Father's right hand

thankful God is my Rock, my strength and my song

I'm thankful He provides energy for each new day

my job is definitely physically taxing, but waiting on God renews my strength

He puts a song in my heart and a smile on my face

I'm thankful for the gift of today

thankful I woke up this morning and was able to get out of bed and move about freely

I'm thankful for the friends God has gifted me with

thankful for their support through prayer and encouraging words

I'm thankful for family

my sister is visiting this week, working on some memory items with my wife

my brother-in-law will be coming over the weekend to help celebrate my father-in-law's birthday

I'm grateful for those relationships

I'm thankful for my wife, for the years we've shared

thankful for the privilege of starting each day with her in prayer

thankful for times to sing together and times to just sit together

I'm thankful God has blessed us with children (all of them adults now!)

but grateful for the contact we still have with them even though they are scattered across the country

I'm thankful for God's patience with me

thankful He holds me hand and supports me when I stumble

thankful God is forgiving and merciful

thankful for His grace, poured out abundantly in my life

I'm thankful for His word, for the instruction it provides

I'm thankful God speaks to me through His word

and thankful He shows me how to apply it in daily life

every day is a gift from God

every breath is a gift from Him

and every moment is an opportunity to honor God and give Him praise

don't miss out on the opportunities! 

Thankful Thursday

time has a way of slipping by 

sometimes I believe I'm managing my time well

at other times, I have no idea where the hours have gone and wonder if I did anything of significance during the elapsed moments

I've missed a couple weeks of making note of my blessings on Thursday evening

there's been a lot of activity here at the Horst residence

but that's no reason not to take a few moments to think on and express my gratitude

I know God delights in hearing my thanks

and He is worthy of that honor

besides my daily commute to and from job sites (on average about 100 miles a day)

we made a trip to upstate NY

our daughter and son-in-law traveled in from Missouri

our son and his girlfriend traveled up from North Carolina

I'm thankful for God's hand of protection over the many miles of highway

just this morning on my way to my job site, I came upon a tractor trailer laying on its side

and was once again reminded of God's grace and protection

I'm thankful for vehicles that operate well

thankful God gives alertness and caution in my travels

some days driving and hour and a half home after 8 hours of physically intense work my body seems to crave sleep

but God provides energy and He gives me friends who are willing to talk to help keep me awake

I'm thankful for that provision

I'm thankful for naps on the couch

and thankful for God's promise that those who wait on Him will renew their strength

I have experienced the fulfillment of that promise so many times

I'm thankful for early morning communion with God, listening to Him as He speaks to me through His word

I'm thankful for songs of praise He gives me as I work through my day

I'm thankful that His word is living and active

thankful for how He uses His word to instruct and encourage me

I'm thankful God exercises patience with me

so many times I stumble along

but because He holds my hand I'm not hurled headlong

but God picks me up and sustains me

He faithfully cares for me as a loving Father

I'm thankful God gives me opportunities to serve

and thankful for the gifts and abilities He has entrusted to me

I'm thankful He directs me in being a faithful steward of His resources

I'm fading fast

it was an especially long and taxing day

I'm thankful I have a bed to sleep in tonight

and thankful God gives sleep to His children who trust in Him

goodnight! 

Thankful Thursday

my work week is done

I leave in the morning for a quick trip to upstate New York to visit family

I'm thankful for the chance to go

family relationships can sometimes be complicated

but I'm hopeful my wife and I can be a blessing and encouragement

because of the pandemic, we were not able to see most of them last year

it's been almost 2 years since I saw my mom and brothers

I'm thankful for the beautiful weather we've been enjoying this week

and thankful for some outside work which gives me even more time to enjoy it

Scripture tells us the heavens declare God's glory

as I stepped outside early this morning, I was able to see that display

thankful for God's glory, and for the beauty He has created

the psalmist says when he gazes into the night sky and sees the moon and stars which God has made

he is overwhelmed by the fact that the God of creation pays any attention to him and actually loves him

I am thankful God sees me and knows me

I'm especially thankful He loves me

thankful God has revealed Himself to me and made me a partaker of grace

the vastness of the universe humbles me

I'm such a small part of something unfathomable

and yet God knows me intimately

I'm grateful beyond words

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for Jesus; my Savior, my Intercessor, my Lord

thankful He left heaven's glory, submitted to the Father, and became the Sacrifice for sin

I'm thankful He endured the Father's full wrath

thankful He conquered death, rose from the tomb, and now sits enthroned in glory with the Father

thankful Jesus will return one day to usher me into the presence of God forever

I'm thankful for opportunities to share that message with others

thankful for the work of God's Spirit, convicting people of their ultimate need:

salvation through the blood of Christ

thankful too for His work in my life, revealing God's glory, showing me my failures, and reminding me of God's forgiveness and grace

I'm thankful for God's continual presence with me; thankful for His promise to never leave me or forsake me

I'm thankful for the strength and energy God provides each day as I go to work

I thoroughly enjoy my job, but it is physically taxing

let's just say I don't have any problem falling asleep at night!

I'm thankful God gives wisdom as I seek Him

thankful He is my song

I'm thankful for God's word, for the promises found in it, for the instruction it provides

I'm thankful God speaks to me through His word

thankful He gives me ears to hear His voice

thankful He has given sight to this man who once was blind

I'm thankful God has poured out favor in my life in allowing me to find a wife

so thankful for Chris, her love and support, her encouraging words, her quiet spirit

thankful we can enjoy one another's company

thankful for a peaceful home

I'm thankful God has blessed me with children

as we are coming up on Father's Day this Sunday, I'm very thankful God allowed me to be a father

and very thankful He is my Father

I'm thankful for music

more and more frequently I find myself sitting down at the piano in the evenings

it's a chance to quiet my soul after a busy day

God is worthy of my praise

I'm thankful His mercies are new every morning

thankful for God's patience with me

thankful He continues to mold and shape me; the master sculptor chiseling away at my rough edges

thankful I am His workmanship

thankful He has created me for good works

oh that I would recognize the doors God is opening before me and be courageous in walking through them

Thankful Thursday

God gave me another song recently

about a year ago I memorized Ps. 86

and from time to time I've thought about putting it to music

this psalm is full of truths about who God is and what our response to Him looks like

I'm thankful that God is always good

thankful He is a forgiving God

thankful His mercy is abundant

where would I be apart from God?

it's scary to even think about!

I know that He has rescued me out of darkness

I'm so thankful God now invites me to walk in light and enjoy fellowship with Him

I'm thankful God brought sight to my blind eyes

thankful He opens my ears to hear His voice

I'm thankful God is my strength and my song

the psalmist says that God has put a new song in his mouth

and I can echo that

He also puts a new song in my hands

I often will sit at the piano and just play

there are so many times when I sense God guiding my fingers as I worship Him in music

in Psalm 86 David asks God to teach him His way and to unite his heart to fear God's name

that's something God loves to do

I'm thankful He is my teacher

thankful He is the molder of my heart

I'm thankful for my family

I've had extra opportunities to connect with family this week

got to sit out back this evening with my wife and her dad and brother

and then later, got to talk with my son on the phone 

I'm so thankful for the relationships God has blessed me with

I'm thankful for God's Spirit

thankful for His promptings

thankful He is producing His fruit in my life

I'm thankful for rest and refreshment

I'm thankful for Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross for my sins

the words to a song ring true:

"my sins they are many His mercy is more!"

so thankful

Thankful Thursday

Well, it's been a few weeks

life's been busy!

my wife and I travelled to Missouri to celebrate Mother's Day with our daughter and her family

little did we know that a surprise was in store for us

when we got there on Friday evening, both of our daughters came walking out of the house!

our younger daughter who lives in Louisiana drove up with her husband to spend the weekend with us

what a special blessing that was

I'm thankful for the joy that brought to my wife

I'm thankful too for the time we were able to spend together, building relationships, encouraging each other, laughing together

I'm so grateful for the family God has blessed me with

just like in any family, we have our moments

but I'm able to see God's hand drawing us together, bringing healing and growth

I'm thankful He is patient with me and never abandons me

thankful God continues to teach me as a husband and father

my Missouri daughter and her family had just moved into a new house just before we went out

she had a wish list of projects for me to work on

I'm thankful for that opportunity to serve them

I love doing that kind of thing, using the gifts and skills God has blessed me with to bless others

and I'm thankful she felt comfortable asking me for help

the biggest project was replacing and unsafe railing system around the large stairwell opening in their main room.  It was a group effort, and it turned out beautifully

I'm thankful for God's help with that project

I'm thankful for the time to invest in our kids and grandkids

thankful too for safety in our travels

we put a lot of miles on the car, and through no fault of my own, we made it there and back without incident

I'm thankful for God's artistic ability

we've been enjoying evenings in our back yard admiring the beautiful sunsets

it always amazes me how each day brings something different 

God is a God of variety; He's built it into all of creation

I'm thankful for eyes to be able to see the beauty He's created

and thankful for time to share it with my wife

I'm thankful for quiet moments to reflect on my Savior and His love for me and all mankind

I'm thankful God is generous 

thankful He gives out of His abundance and not grudgingly

I'm tired--I fell asleep at the dinner table this evening

so I'l wrap this up and let my head find the pillow

I'm thankful God is good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth!