Thankful Thursday

today is a good day to give thanks

actually every day gives us the opportunity to give thanks

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

I'm thankful God is my strength

thankful He created me with arms and legs that function and enable me to move about and do things

I'm thankful God is my song

thankful He enables me to life my voice in praise of Him

I'm thankful God is patient with me

I'm thankful His mercies are new every morning

I'm thankful for God's abundant grace

I'm thankful God is always good

thankful He is ready to forgive

I'm thankful Jesus paid the penalty for my sin when He hung on the cross

I'm thankful salvation is available to all who believe in His name

I'm thankful for the beauty of creation and for eyes to see that beauty

I'm thankful for sunshine

thankful for the crisp fall weather

the moon has been brilliant recently

actually, the moon has no light of its own, it merely reflects the light from the sun that shines on it

in the same way, I have no light of my own, but God gives me the opportunity to reflect His light as I gaze at Him and allow Him to shine on me

thankful for circumstances that allow me to shine

I'm thankful for the ways God reminds me of my need for Him

I'm thankful He holds me in His hand

thankful there is nothing that can pluck me away from Him or separate me from His love

 

Thankful Thursday

it is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord

He is deserving of my gratitude

God has done great things for me

without Him I would be nothing

I'm especially thankful I arrived hoe safely today

it was a day of longer driving

and on my hour and a half drive home I was really fighting sleep

but I'm thankful God kept me awake and protected me from running off the road or into someone

God is my strength and my song

I'm thankful for the strength He provides each day

thankful for energy to do my job

I'm thankful for answered prayers today

I was working with some little screws, and they kept falling

the first time one dropped into the mulch bed

it was a black screw and the mulch was black

as I looked for it, I told God I needed His help to find it

and He came through

that happened two more times with the same conversation with God

and each time I found the screw, I thanked Him for helping me

I have to give credit where credit is due

I'm thankful for work closer to home tomorrow

a 15 minute commute instead of an hour and 45 minutes

we have had a full house this week

I'm thankful for time to visit with my in-laws

 we've had some good conversations, fun times around the dinner table, and competitive games

well, maybe the competitiveness was just me

I'm thankful for the relationships God has allowed us to develop over the years

I was thankful to see the sun today after a rainy week

I'm thankful for the beauty of this season

I saw so many colorful trees on my drive today

thankful for eyes to enjoy that beauty

I'm thankful for good teaching

I was listening to a sermon on prayer during my drive this morning

the speaker was talking about aligning ourselves with God; becoming a part of His plan rather than trying to get Him to become a part of our plan

it was good food for thought

Thankful Thursday

As I reflect on the past couple of weeks

I'm thankful for the gift of music

I've been writing a new song based on my standing in Christ

Each time I write a song, I'm reminded of the verse in Psalms that says God has put a new song in my mouth

I do feel like these songs are gifts from the Lord

He gives me the words and guides me in putting them to a melody

I'm thankful for life

I know that each day is a gift

there are no guarantees about tomorrow

I want to live each day in a way that pleases my Lord and brings honor to Him

I'm thankful God is the One who directs my steps

thankful He illumines my path

I'm thankful for His word

it is a source of instruction, correction, and encouragement 

I'e been praying often that God's word would dwell in me richly

One of the reasons most of my songs are putting Scripture to music is because of my desire to have God's word on my lips

and I find myself singing those songs as I go through my day

I'm thankful for God's presence

His promise is that He will never leave me or forsake me

I'm thankful I am His beloved son

thankful I am a part of God's family

thankful He is my heavenly Father

I'm thankful for my family

as I was praying with a friend this afternoon

I was thanking God for the favor and blessing He has poured out in my life in giving me a loving wife and for children and grandchildren

I'm thankful for opportunities to connect with my kids even though they are scattered around the country

I'm also thankful for an opportunity to have a long weekend with my wife

I'm thankful for each moment I get to spend with her

she is my favorite person

I'm thankful God brought our paths together 

Thankful Thursday

it has been a week of lots of windshield time

almost 20 hours of driving so far

and that's just to get to job sites to do my actual job

I'm thankful for God's hand of protection as I've been on the road

today as I was traveling home, I saw 5 state troopers with flashing lights heading south on I-83

I don't know what the situation was, but sure seemed like it must have been something bad

I know I was struggling to stay alert

but once more God came through and brought me home safely

I'm thankful every week isn't like this

I'm thankful for my wife who always expresses gladness when I arrive home

thankful for the time God gives us together

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

thankful He is my strength, my refuge, my song

I'm thankful God has opened the door for communication with Him

thankful I can enter His holy place by the blood of Jesus

I'm thankful God's ears are always open to my cries 

and thankful that He responds when I call out to Him

I'm thankful for God's word; living and active, convicting and encouraging

I'm thankful for how God uses His word to guide my steps

I'm thankful for the way He reveals Himself in His word

I'm thankful God is the giver of wisdom

thankful for His peace that guards my heart and mind

thankful for joy that comes in walking with Him

I'm thankful for the love and grace God has poured out in abundance in my life

I'm thankful God is patient with me

I'm thankful He offers forgiveness when I stumble and lose my way and sin against Him

I'm thankful God is kind and gentle

I'm thankful God is my sure foundation; a solid rock on which I can build my life

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

great is His faithfulness!

Thankful Thursday

it's another Thursday evening

time for some reflection and expression of gratitude

I'm thankful for God's word, living and active, powerful, life changing

thankful for God's promise that His word does not return void

it accomplishes His purposes

thankful for how God reveals Himself in His word

I'm thankful for the Living Word, Christ Jesus

I've been reading through the Gospels

taking another look at the documentation of Jesus' life

I'm thankful God sent Jesus to be our Savior and our example

I'm thankful for music

thankful for songs that put Scripture to music

thankful for how God has been bringing those songs to mind throughout my day

I love being able to worship in song as I work

I'm thankful for enjoyable work, for being able to see the fruits of my labor each day

I'm thankful for friendship

God has definitely blessed me with some solid friendships

I'm thankful for the encouragement I receive from brothers

thankful for those who pray for me regularly

I'm thankful for family

even though they are scattered around the country

I'm thankful for phone calls, FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom

thankful for the technology that allows me to stay connected with family

thankful too for visits from family

I'm thankful for God's peace

Life has had its twists and turns lately

but through it all there is a quiet confidence knowing God is in control

thankful He loves me and is working for my good and His glory

I'm thankful for the joy God gives as I trust Him and follow Him

I'm thankful He is the One who directs my steps

I don't know what lies around the bend

but God does and He has proved His faithfulness over and over in my life

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday was a day of prayer

a lot of time was spent seeking the Father on behalf of others

I'm so thankful God is a prayer hearing and prayer answering God

thankful He is not just some idol made of wood or stone

unable to hear or talk or move

He is alive and active

I'm thankful He is responsive when I call out to Him

and He made that known so vividly yesterday

I personally saw Him answer a number of prayers

and I received reports from others of how God answered prayer in their lives

I'm thankful God invites us to communicate with Him

and thankful for His promise that when we draw near to Him, He in turn draws near to us

One of the things I've been asking God for each morning is that He would give me a song

I'm thankful for how God is answering that prayer

there have been a number of songs running through my head the last few days

this evening when I got home from work, I sat down at the piano and played and sang for a while

I'm thankful I have the opportunity to sing praise to Him.

I've been enjoying jobs that are closer to home the past couple months

but that will be coming to an end beginning next week

I wrote the above last Thursday, but ended up falling asleep and never getting it posted

I'm thankful for sleep

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

I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with our daughter and son in law this past weekend

it's always a joy to have family around

we will have more family coming in this weekend

and a gathering of some extended family on Sound

I'm thankful for the bond God gives us as families

as I see the breakdown of families in our culture and the deception of redefining marriage and family, I'm grieved at how far we've fallen from God's design

I'm thankful for my faithful wife

thankful for the years God has blessed us with

thankful for each day He gives us to live and serve together

I'm thankful for the commitment we share to walk life's road together 

it's not always an easy path, but God gives us grace for each twist and turn

thankful He is our strength

thankful He is the glue that holds us together

I'm thankful God is a shield about us, He is the lifter of our heads

I'm thankful God establishes my path and directs my steps as I depend on Him

I'm thankful for the peace God offers

peace that goes beyond my comprehension

thankful for the way it guards my heart and mind

I'm thankful for joy

I'm thankful for quiet moments to sit and reflect on God's goodness and faithfulness

Thankful Thursday

I haven't been very consistent lately with putting my thoughts down in written form

I'm thankful God is always consistent

thankful He is the same yesterday, today, and forever

I'm thankful His love never changes, never fails

and very thankful there is nothing that can separate me from His love

I'm thankful God is my strength

with all that's been going on recently, I'm more and more aware of my need for His strength

I was meditating on some verses from Proverbs today

"do not lean on your own understanding"

I don't know about anyone else, but that can be a challenge sometimes

I've been around the block a time or two, and sometimes I get too confident in my own ideas

"in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight"

I want my path to be straight!

I want to be acknowledging Him in every situation

talking with a friend today who spent the best part of yesterday in the emergency room

he was sharing how he prays that he will be a testimony to nurses and doctors he interacts with

people who under normal circumstances he would not have any contact with

what a great way to pray

I'm thankful for a God who responds when I call out to Him

a God who shows Himself faithful in every situation

I'm thankful God is near to the brokenhearted

thankful God executes justice for the oppressed

I'm thankful God guides my path

thankful He is intimately acquainted with all my ways

I pray with the psalmist that God would teach me His ways and unite my heart to fear His name

I'm thankful for nighttime

thankful for the refreshment that comes with a good night of sleep

I will lay down and sleep in peace, for You, O Lord, are with me