It's a good time to think about all the reasons we are grateful. My heart is full today as I give glory to God for who HE IS and how He saved me so many years ago and took me off of the path of destruction I was running down. He's continued to keep me in the palm of His loving hand to deliver, to heal, to love, to make me a partaker of all His glorious goodness... always preparing me for what He has prepared for me.
The days and times we are living in might be screaming all sorts of contrary and confusing messages but I'm endeavoring to let peace be my umpire. Peace that can only come from God. One of the spiritual truths I learned very early in my walk with God is that no matter what changes occur around me, Jesus is the same. If I'll keep my thoughts and heart directed toward Him through the word and worship peace rises bigger than any situation I face.
I'm looking at the realities of heaven today. I'm setting my sights 'above' where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God in the place of honor and power. I've found out through practice that as I set my face like flint in His direction all the troubles of earth fade away into the sweet presence of God and nothing else looks as big as HE does.
Jeremy Camp - Give You Glory
So through all the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving week I encourage you to make sure you allow God and His immutable presence to wrap around you in all its glorious power. As you do, He will lovingly and mercifully reach into the deepest places of your being and help you sort out every trouble and every success. In the light of His mercy with a thankful heart to Him every good thing comes into view!
Then spend your days being thankful! Spend your thoughts being thankful! Spend your energy being thankful! Right in the face of disturbance and irritation if necessary.
You might be surprised how your outlook on life changes.
2 comments:
well we just might be in sync. my post yesterday "i am grateful."
this was very good for me to read this morning.
yesterday after being in an attitude of thankfulness. our oldest son showed up and guideless were being laid out for him and basically he lost it and stormed out the door. this was a second attempt to have some boundries set. the first time ended much more quickly but without all the volatile emots. i was at such a place it was easier to recover because of the things i had been meditating on the whole day.
i am so thankful to have the strength that my God gives me in such instances otherwise i would be a mess.
thanks for sharing, i really like jeremy camp but had never seen him live.
i agree - thankfulness will help you be aware of the many blessings in your life you are very likely to overlook if you only focus on the negative. there are so many things to be appreciative of that are available daily for our use & comfort - i won't enumerate, but if you make a purposeful effort to notice, you will spend a lot more time being thankful. one of the greatest that i am aware of is the freedom and liberty of being an American citizen. sure, we have major problems in our country, but for the most part, we enjoy the least interference in our private lives of most people on the earth. having visited a third world country in Africa, i can never forget how depressed the economy was constantly, and how they had to exist on a day to day basis just for the basic essentials of survival. but their daily lack made for a strong faith in tomorrow's provision and they lived in the moment. we were in a church service once, made up of other missionaries from all over the world, and the speaker's message was "having an attitude of gratitude". i was in a very grumbly mood right then, having had to walk about 5 miles to get there and knowing i also had to walk back home. i was getting tired of the commitment we had made to go so far away from home and family, and my outlook had soured. i left in a much better frame of mind, after repenting, and i've never forgotten that lesson in staying constantly aware of all you really have to be thankful for.
you were so right when you said, "In the light of His mercy with a thankful heart to Him every good thing comes into view!" it is not just about an annual day of celebration, but a heart that is continually offering our God praise and thanksgiving for His love, mercy and goodness to us in every facet of our lives. if we just make an adjustment in our outlook, we can enjoy and be aware of His peace, plan and purpose in our life every day. let's do it today!
"Then spend your days being thankful! Spend your thoughts being thankful! Spend your energy being thankful!" Thanks for reminding us Meems!
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