My Devotion Today

Today's Truth 
Psalm 106:1 (NIV) "Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Friend to Friend 
In homes across America, friends and family will gather around beautifully decorated tables filled with warm, scrumptious food to give thanks. It's Thanksgiving Day.  However, this day will be nothing like holidays of the past for many people.   

Lonely but committed soldiers covered in the dust of battle will patrol foreign borders, fighting for our freedom while their families back home long for word of their safety.  The homeless will make their way to the nearest soup kitchen, hoping for a warm meal and a smiling face as so many celebrate this day of abundance. An empty place at the table will be a painful reminder of the loved one lost not long ago. A worried husband and dad will sit at the head of the table, wondering how he is going to tell his family that he just lost his job.  The list of wounded hearts and unmet needs is endless. 

We convince ourselves that life will be better when we have more money, when we find the right mate, when we get the kids raised or build the right house. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we get that promotion, when we are able to go on our dream vacation or when we retire.  We keep trying to find joy, contentment and peace in lifeless places and things.  Jesus Christ is life.  He is Joy and Love and He took our place on the cross.  That's why we can give thanks when it seems as if there is nothing for which to be thankful. 

One day, a man went to visit a church.  He arrived early, parked his car, and got out.  Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there.  You took my place!" The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down.  A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!"  The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down.  Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!"  The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.

Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change.  Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took your place."

Yes, we live in a broken world and life is filled with pain, challenges, dark times and trials, but today can still be a day of thanksgiving and praise because praise and thanksgiving have little to do with the Thanksgiving holiday and everything to do with our inner attitude toward God. It really doesn't matter how much we lose here, my friend.  I have read the Book and we win ... for all of eternity!  We just need to take the time to remember ... and give thanks.

Let's Pray 
Father, we come to You today, praising You for meeting our needs this year in ways that we may or may not have understood at the time. Looking back, we see Your hand of mercy and love.  We recognize Your presence and your power and we celebrate You ...we celebrate life.

In Jesus' name, 
Amen. 

Trust

"If you will trust Him, He will begin to work in your life.  Then you will see His plan and will for your life unfold in a mighty way.  This is His promise to each one of us."  (Charles Stanley)

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18

He Wants My Praise II

After sharing this devotion on Friday, it seems to be a constant theme these past days.  It's like God keeps bringing this up.  Brother Billy preached on praising and giving thanks on Sunday and of course with it being Thanksgiving week it's not unlikely for these verses to show up.  But, probably like most of us, I tend to thank Him for the "good" things in my life.  That's not what the Bible says.  It says:

REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS. AGAIN I will say, REJOICE! (Phillipians 4:4)

That doesn't sound like God wants me to just be thankful for those good things or the times that I want to be thankful.  That sounds like He wants me to rejoice and be thankful for everything all of the time!!! And then it says:

Be anxious for NOTHING, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let my requests be made known to Him; (Phillipians 4:6)

Hmmmm... Everything with THANKSGIVING.  So, that means everything? Everything, such as the things that are just not what I have ordered today, God?  But God, how can I THANK You for something that is just totally not something that I want?  And, I should not be worried about anything, but I should Thank You for everything while I am making my requests to You...

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 4:7)

So, you're telling me that if I give thanks in EVERYTHING, You will guard my heart and mind. You might (no, You can) take that awful thing that I don't want to give thanks for right now, and turn it around to something that I never expected.  God's peace... no one can understand it, or no unbeliever can understand it.  He will give us peace when we think there is no peace to be found.

And my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 4:19)

This doesn't say God may supply, it states that God SHALL supply all my needs... not my wants, But what He knows that I need, He SHALL supply it!!!  So, why do we (I) not thank Him for EVERYTHING?  God tells us right here... all we have to do is thank Him and praise Him and MY God SHALL supply ALL my needs through Jesus Christ His Son!!!

PRAISING HIM AND THANKING HIM FOR EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE!!! Without everything that has happened in my life, I would not be the person that I am today.  I am amazed when I look back over my journey of 45 years and see how God has put my masterpiece together. The people that He has put in my life that I call family and friends, the friends that He placed there and decided to take away... or move them on.  I thank Him for it ALL!!!  It has it's highs and it's lows but they all come together to make a beautiful song that I call my life and I thank Him for it ALL!!!

I hope each one you reading have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your friends and families!!!  I love each and every one of you and hope this shares just a little of what I am thankful for this year!

He Wants My Praise

It is so hard to remember to praise God when things are not going how we think they should be. I think this is something God is really trying to impress on me right now. It's so easy to look at the situation and say, but God, this isn't what I want... but if we will step back and see that He is in control of the situation, we will see all of the great things that He has done throughout it all! In EVERYTHING we should give Him OUR PRAISE!!!

This was my devotion this morning...

Psalm 50:23 "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." (NIV)

My husband, Dan, grew up driving the family ski boat, pulling various family members and friends across some lake as they learned to water ski. Consequently, he is an excellent boat driver, especially for children or any novice on skis. Both our son, Jered, and our daughter, Danna, learned to ski behind a boat driven by their dad. I knew they preferred Dan to other drivers but did not realize just how important it was to them until someone else tried to take the wheel.
Several years ago, we invited some friends to join us for a few days at the lake. We had gotten to know Josh and Sarah at church and had become good friends. Our kids seemed to enjoy theirs so the idea of a combined vacation was perfect! Right!

After several days of non-stop skiing, Dan was exhausted and asked the kids for a breather. "Guys, let me have one day off and I will be set for the rest of the week", he pleaded. Josh immediately volunteered to drive the boat, assuring Dan and the kids that he was an "expert." Doubt spread across the faces of Jered and Danna but since Josh was their only option, they grabbed their life jackets and skis and headed for the boat. Dan grabbed a snack, a cool drink, the novel he had been trying to read all week and headed for the nearest hammock, a gloriously unplanned day to call his own. Actually, it turned out to be a gloriously unplanned hour before we heard our boat returning to the dock. Jered and Danna scrambled out of the boat and headed straight for their dad. I could tell by the look on their faces that the boating excursion had definitely not been a success! "Seriously, Dad, Josh has no idea what he is doing!" Jered explained. "He nearly killed me!" Danna reported with her usual dose of drama. Jered summed up his thirty minute play-by-play account of the disastrous skiing incident by announcing, "Dad, from now on I will only ski when you are driving the boat!"

What Jered was really saying was that he had no confidence or peace when someone besides his father was at the wheel. How true! When God is "at the wheel", every circumstance we face is in His hand and under His control! Peace takes up residence and the power of praise is revealed.
Praise turns trials into faith-builders as we learn to measure our problems against His limitless power, transforming the stumbling blocks of today into stepping stones for tomorrow.
Praise frees us from having to understand our circumstances, knowing that God is in control. A heart that is filled with praise does not have to understand every detail of the circumstance. In fact, the details really don't matter. What does matter is that God is aware of every minute detail, monitors the circumstance and shapes it to fit His plan.

Praise transforms tragedy into triumph. Fanny Crosby was six-weeks-old when she lost her vision because of a doctor's error as he applied the wrong medicine to her eyes, a mistake that set the course of the infant's life. She could have easily become bitter but instead, chose to praise God. I am certain she didn't understand all of the reasons for her lot in life, but I am equally certain that she made the choice to build a monument of praise on that lot instead of resurrecting a tombstone of bitterness. Fanny Crosby wrote over 8000 hymns of praise including "All the Way My Savior Leads Me", "Blessed Assurance", and "To God Be the Glory". Praise made the difference between becoming bitter or better!

I know that many of you have had a tough year! Loss, disappointment, pain, financial stress ... the list is endless. Go ahead and make that list, my friend. Add it all up. Then factor in the grace, mercy and love of God -- and it is more than enough. Praise God!

Let's Pray Father, I give You praise for Your hand in my life this year. At times, I did not understand what You were doing -- and still don't. But it doesn't matter, Lord, because I know I can trust You. Help me remember that my inner heart attitude does not have to reflect my outer circumstances. No matter what, I can praise You, knowing it will all turn out for my good. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Live Cheerfully

Have you ever seen these people that call themselves Christians and it's like they are ALWAYS angry or mumbling and muttering about how bad things are? Or how things aren't going their way. Or maybe they just don't like how things are being done.

If I have accepted HIS LOVE and HIS GRACE how can I be anything but joyful? Oh, I know I am going to have times when I am down and not as cheerful as usual. But, God promised me joy if I give Him what is rightfully His: my heart, my soul and my life!!! As a Christian I should always be lifting Him up and praising Him for His gift of grace to me! That alone should give me more joy than I could ever want for my life.

Christ can put a spring in your step and a thrill in your heart.
Optimism and cheerfulness are products of knowing Christ. (Billy Graham)

The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but the people who have learned to live with those things that are less than perfect. (James Dobson)

Those who are pure in their thinking are happy, because they will be with God. (Matt 5:8)