February 22-Random Act of Kindness

-
With suffering being the theme crossing my path the last few days, Mandisa's song on Godtube this morning is an awesome upper!
www.godtube.com/watch/?v=9C9B9FNU

Today's assignment is a little ambiguous. The idea of listing 10 Points of Praise has been with me all morning, but I am not yet certain how that rolls into a random act of kindness. I thought of listing reasons to praise and when I first began many of the things which came to mind were actually not praises, but thanksgiving for answers to prayer. Praise and thanksgiving are different. Even when our prayers are not answered we are to continue praising the Lord.

I may have shared how the other day I was confessing to the Lord my heart ache with some unanswered prayers and His reply was a real show stopper to my complaining..."Was what my Son did on the cross for you not sufficient?"
No matter the prognosis or predicament, the progress or lack there of, we are to continue in a mode of praise. Praise is a choice not a reaction to our circumstances.
We praise because He is and always will be our loving Father, who sacrificed his Son for our personal sins. We are down right nasty when it comes to heavenly standards and our sinfulness won't get us past the bouncer at heavens door! We need a hall pass and his name is Jesus.

Praising God gives people peace, fills them with purpose, and helps them proceed prospering God's way!

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: "He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever." Ezra 3:11

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. Psalm 16:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper. Proverbs 28:25

10 Reasons to Praise
God loves us so much he sent his Son to die for us.
God made a creation for us to enjoy which is down right gorgeous.
God's love endures forever.
God never leaves us or forsakes us.
God hears our cries and answers with what is best for us on the eternal scale.
God took time to create us for his purpose.
God has given us an instruction book full of guidance and even a clause explaining we aren't expected to understand his ways, but have faith!
God knew this world would be a mess and established a better eternity in heaven.
God is sovereign. God is righteous. God's plan gives us hope.
God wins in the end!

Popular posts from this blog

She Fought the Good Fight

-
Image
February 27 Bible Gateway's verse yesterday was: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him . 1 John 4:9 A fitting verse for the day my everyday friend, soul sister, monster of the faith and mischievous partner in crime, Kaye, left this world behind and headed to her heavenly home. My husband was able to be by her bedside and said he knew she heard the words of our faith that he shared. Her sweet daughter held the phone up to her ear so I could say good-bye and the brightest single star you have ever seen shown through my bedroom window as she exited this earth! Yesterday, my heart literally ached so badly that I told the Lord, "Take me too!" Wouldn't she have been surprised if I had snuck up on her in heaven and said, "Thought you were going somewhere without me, did ya." When we received the call she was ready to go, I called out to the Lord for comfort and He led me to the Bible Gat...
Read more

Toe Sucking

-
Image
June 13 If I keep my eyes on God, I won't trip over my own feet. Psalm 25:12 …or allow them to be sucked off by carp!  For as long as I've been on this lake (49 years) we've gone to feed the carp at various marinas.   I have a bag of old bread waiting to be tossed to the carp tomorrow by our grandchildren!   There's a new adventure at a couple of the marinas.  Toe sucking!   For 25 cents you can buy a small scoop of peanut butter to go on your toes. Then the carp suck it off!   I just got a pedicure, so I have an excuse not to participate! What we do need to participate in is keeping our feet on the paths the Lord sets before us. Give careful though to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Proverbs 4:26 
Read more

Remember Your Story

-
Image
Our oldest granddaughter made this bouquet and hand painted card for me.💖 Nothing touches our lives that God doesn't allow.  He has a plan and a purpose, sometimes far into the future, that can be used for His glory. (Jeremiah 29:11) Flash back 40 years and I approached life's downs with an "I can't believe this is happening." and truth be told "How can I fix it?" attitude.   Now that I am older and wiser I see that God truly works all things together for good for those who are called according to His purpose.  (Romans 8:28) I thank God for the stroke 8 years ago and how it mellowed me out (okay some of you are laughing, but it really did). And honestly,  I like getting old. Sure, there are regrets, but there is also value in being able to pass along the wisdom learned from those regrets. God CAN use everything for His good. Mentoring moments are what I feel called to at this stage of life.  Working on a talk for a women's retreat weekend, I came ac...
Read more