Called to Be Thankful

-
Tulip garden at The Biltmore House
April 21

We aren't privy to God's specific agenda. For those of us who live by faith we believe not only in His promises, but also in the constancy of His character.  The other day I read in Jesus Calling...

"I'm calling you to a life of thankfulness.  I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving.  The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe.  Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence.

When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do.  From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I'm mismanaging things.  But you don't know what I know or see what I see.  If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much  more. However. I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight.  I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world.  Acknowledge My sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances."

"And they were calling to one another:  'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty: the whole earth is full of his glory.'"  Isaiah 6:3

"We live by faith, not by sight."  2 Corinthians 5:7

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Turning to thankfulness is an excellent activity in tough times. It turns our focus onto God instead of the issue weighing us down.  Instead of being devastated over the stroke, time and time again we were able to praise the Lord for where I was, the timing and fact my daughter had not left the house, the efficiency of the EMT's and ER attendings,  how wonderful and compassionate my medical and therapy care was and the heartfelt support I received from my family and friends.
Yup, even when we are in the lion's den, we can look around and see we are not alone.  We have a God who wants to fight for us.


"The Lord your God himself will fight for you."
Deuteronomy 3:22 

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