Inspirations

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  This is a hard verse for me.    In fact, I think I have a love-hate relationship with this verse.   I love it, but it's hard. When I get the promotion…    when the bank account is running over…    when there are no health issues…  when there is no drama…    when I get what I want…    when my kids are the epitome of perfection…  then it's easy to give thanks.     However, if there is no food in the house…    my doctor’s news is not what you hoped for…    my car breaks down…    my friends have turned on me…    when I am passed over for a promotion…  then giving thanks is hard.    That little word all hangs me up every time.    God wants me to intentionally thank him...

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; Psalms 118:29 We can give thanks to God because he is good. Not just good by our human standards, which is faulty, at best. But upright by His measuring stick. That can be an anchor in a storm, but also a reason to give thanks. We can take comfort in and thank him when things are bad that he is virtuous.  He is not “out to get us,” and he will not be unreasonable.  Because he is wholesome, he loves us too much to be absent in our affliction. He is always near us, helping and sustaining us. He will discipline us for our good. Like a parent who gives medicine that the child needs even though it is not fun for the little one, He will do what is right for us though it seems painful at the time.

Thank You, God, for creation the beginning of your wonderful deeds. I love being close to what you have made. I am also thankful for  Not just the church, but what the church represents.   My relationship with God made possible by the death of Jesus on a cross; and my church family.   God somehow unites the hearts and minds of those who are in Christ. I and thankful that God provides us with a  house. and food. and a job. these are all things that we often take for granted,  but they are wonderful works that he has done. How about computers      and this amazing invention or cars                                                I, for one, appreciate technology   and I am grateful that God gave people the understanding to make these...

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind .     Psalms 107:21 Have you ever stopped and thought about everything the Lord had done?    Wow!    I think If I were going to list them all,  It would take more time than I have,  more ink than I could acquire  and more space than I could imagine.    If we started with the creation of the world,   God was there speaking things into existence.    As we read through the Bible,  we see God at work in the Old Testament and the New Testament.    He saved Noah from a devastating flood;  He gave children to the childless.   He provided salvation for us.    But there are so many other wondrous deeds.   I n fact, God has done wondrous deeds in each of our lives.     He leads us.  ...

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.     Psalms 107:21 One thing we can always thank God for is that his love never fails.     We can hold the door for someone.    We can make them dinner.    Maybe we can bring someone a steaming hot cup of coffee.    We may bite our tongue so that we do not hurt them.    We can speak words of affirmation over them.    Perhaps we can choose to put others ahead of ourselves.    All of those things are great. But it may not cause someone to return our love.    We live in an imperfect world,  and even though we can try our hardest to love others, it may fail.  But God’s love is perfect and can never fail.  His passion for us is unconditional.  He doesn’t like some more and some less.  He loves us when we ...

Hard to believe, but It's almost Thanksgiving again.  For the next 30 days, I want to focus on giving thanks. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.   Daniel 6:10 Most of us are familiar with this story.  If you’re not, you should pick up your Bible and read the whole account.  Daniel was exiled to Babylon years earlier.  He distinguished himself as trustworthy and was in line for a promotion.  Others who were also being considered for the position tried to  “find some dirt on him.”   Daniel acted with integrity, so they could find nothing wrong with him.  They finally decide to get to him through his faith in God.  They convinced Darius to make it illegal to ask...

For the next few days, I am going to write about some things that we say, but that God will not or does not say.      Figure it out yourself.    Have you ever had someone say that to you?  I have, and I imagine that you have had someone say it to you as well.    For me, it was in school when I didn’t understand a problem or concept.  The teacher would say, figure it out for yourself,  and I was left starring at a blackboard with no idea where to start  or how to finish the problem.  Sometimes at work, they will say,  “Make it happen” this is the adult equivalent of “Figure it out.”    However, or whenever we hear these words,  they leave us frustrated, disappointed, and overwhelmed.  We may even think I don’t know how to figure this out.    The good news is that God doesn’t say, “You figure it out.”  But rather, “I already...