Thankful Thursday & The Winner Is...

Recently, I've been encouraged by websites that take time to recount the blessings of the Lord. So I've decided to make today - Thankful Thursday.

Take a few moments to read the following passage from Ephesians:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace," (Ephesians 1:3-7; KJV).

Wow! If you're a child of the King, these verses spell out at least 6 reasons to be thankful. Can you find them?

*I'm blessed (v. 3)

*I'm chosen (v. 4)

*I'm adopted (v. 5)

*I'm accepted (v. 6)

*I'm redeemed (v. 7)

*I'm forgiven (v. 7)

Some other things I'm thankful for this week:

*a fantastic family

*good health

*summertime

*wonderful friends

*the opportunity to write and share the truths of God's Word

Now it's your turn to join in! What are you thankful for this week?

And if you've been waiting on the edge of your seat to learn who the winner of last week's giveaway is...may I have a drum roll please?! A BIG congratulations goes out to: Karen Lange!! She is the winner of a signed copy of The Art of Norma Boeckler! Way to go Karen! And a special thank you to all who participated in the drawing! Have a beautiful week and God bless!

Trials Have Purpose

The land lay before them. The promised land. After years spent in the wilderness, their dream was about to come true. I can imagine the Israelites counting down the days until the spies would return with news about the land that would become their territory.

The day finally arrived. Everyone assembled to hear the report. Children jostled about, in an attempt to see what the twelve men had brought back from Canaan. A hush fell over the crowd. Mouths gaped open in amazement. Before them hung the largest cluster of grapes they had ever seen! So large, that the grapes required two men to carry them on a large pole (Numbers 13:23). An abundance of pomegranates and figs lay before them - fruit from the land the Lord intended for them to inherit. What a promising future lay ahead!

The spies spoke of the land they had explored over the past forty days, "...We came unto the land whither thou sentest, us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it," (Numbers 13:27; KJV). The land sounded too good to be true. But as the report continued, the tone changed from positive to negative. "Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there," (Numbers 13:28).

By the end of the report, only two of the twelve spies maintained a positive outlook on taking over the promised land. Joshua and Caleb. These two had faith that the Lord, who had brought the children of Israel this far, could also deliver the promised land to them, despite the obstacles.

The crowd chose the majority opinion. They refused to exercise faith in the God who had delivered them from their oppressors in Egypt, provided food and water for them in the wilderness, and been their constant guide from the beginning of their journey. Instead, they chose to believe the situation was hopeless and began making plans to elect a captain to lead them back to Egypt.

Imagine journeying to the border of the promised land, only to stop trusting the One who had brought you every step of the way. Inconceivable, right? Yet, if I'm honest, I have to admit that I've done the very same thing.

When I'm faced with a trial in my life, I have the opportunity to trust God to walk me through the difficulties. But instead, I grow fearful, and choose to believe that God doesn't have my best interests at heart. I begin thinking about how good things have been. And question God as to why this trial had to come my way. I lose sight of my great God and begin having a pity party in honor of myself.

The words of the book of James point me back to the truth, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing," (James 1:2-4). Although I can't say that trials are pleasant, each and every one is allowed in my life to draw me closer to my Heavenly Father. It's up to me to allow each trial to become a blessing as I'm conformed to the image of Christ!

How do you face trials? Is your faith growing with each difficulty that comes your way?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the trials You allow in my life. Help me choose to believe that Your plan for me is good, and to act in faith when difficulties tempt me to doubt. Help me to be conformed to the image of Your Son. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Who Knows Best?

He stares at me. Tail wagging, tongue hanging out of his mouth. It's almost as if he believes he can cause me to do his bidding if he uses the charm factor. Our Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Joe, IS adorable. And he's hard to resist when he cocks his head just so, and puts on a big 'smile.' Yet sometimes he forgets we're his owners and not the other way around.

Just a couple days ago, he tried pouring on the charm. I went out to spend a few minutes with both dogs. Our Golden Retriever, Precious, just wanted to cuddle. Joe, on the other hand, was ready to play. I grabbed a tennis ball and headed out to indulge him with a game of fetch. But Joe wanted to make up the rules. Instead of retrieving the ball, Joe caught it and stood looking at me expectantly. The more I coaxed him to bring me the ball, the more determined he was to get me to come get the ball from him. He wasn't interested in playing our usual game of fetch.

Much to Joe's chagrin, I stood up and headed back in the direction of his doghouse. Realizing his opportunity to play was disappearing rapidly, he streaked by me and stood in the middle of the path, tennis ball on the ground in front of him. Stooping down to scratch his head, I gave his ball a final toss. He brought it back in seconds flat. Next time I went out to play, he resembled a boomerang. We both enjoyed an invigorating game of fetch.

Joe's antics are surprisingly familiar. If I'm honest, I have to admit that sometimes I do the same thing - with God. Knowing that I'm His beloved child, sometimes I forget that He's also my Creator, and I expect Him to do my bidding. Although what He expects of me is clearly laid out in His Word, I minimize who He is, and get caught up in a 'buddy' mentality. Since He's my friend, surely He'll do ______(fill in the blank) for me! Or, since He wants what's best for me, He definitely won't allow ________(fill in the blank) to happen! I temporarily forget that God's plan for me is not to make me happy - it's to conform me to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

The prophet Isaiah gently reminds me, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts," (Isaiah 55:8-9; KJV). As the holy Creator and sustainer of everything, including me, my responsibility is to acknowledge God for who He is, and follow the instruction manual He's so graciously given me.

How could I possibly think I know what's best? Time and time again, when I've tried to bargain with God and do things my way, the results have been disastrous. Acknowledging His authority and submitting to His will for me bring wonderful blessings. The Psalmist, David, writes, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy ways unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass," (Psalm 37:4-5). God's desire IS to bless me. My problem is that far too often I think of God's blessings in terms of material things rather than spiritual things.

God's plan for me is to, "...grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, " (2 Peter 3:18a). My prayer today, echoes that of the Apostle Paul for the believers at Colosse, "...that ye (I) might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye (I) might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father..." (Colossians 1:9-12a; words in italics mine).

What about you? Do you try to charm God into doing things your way? Realize His plan is so much better than anything you could come up with - and let Him be in charge!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me when I minimize You and think I know what's best for me. Help me to remember that my life consists of so much more than things. You are what's most important. I desire to grow in my knowledge of You. Thank You for Your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

48 Hours

The visit was short - fewer than 48 hours. We picked up our daughter, Riley, from the airport and headed for home. Even though she'd only been in college for three weeks, and we had communicated almost every day, there was still so much to catch up on. Classes, roommates, and adventures. Never a dull moment. But it's true, there's no place like home.

While college life is definitely exciting, it also has its share of challenges. Some of the simple things she didn't give a second thought to while she lived at home, have suddenly become much more special. Sleeping in her own bed and using her own bathroom, now rank high on her list as true luxuries. Eating home-cooked meals definitely rivals the cafeteria experience.

In the short weeks since we dropped our girl off at college, things have changed. Riley is maturing. She values things she once took for granted. She realizes the sacrifices we've made to send her to a Christian college. We found a note that Riley slipped under our door on Saturday morning. "Thank you both so much for letting me go to PCC. It has been amazing so far. And I just wanted you to know how thankful I am for letting me go there..." I'll always treasure the words she penned in that note to my husband and me.

What a good reminder for me when I get caught up in the busyness of life. Am I careful to express gratitude for the things God has so richly blessed me with? A loving family. A comfortable home. Dependable transportation. Plenty of food. Or do I display an attitude of entitlement - acting as if I deserve God's blessings?

Remember the story of the prodigal son? His sense of entitlement carried him off to a far away land, where he quickly spent the inheritance granted to him by his father. Times got tough and a famine plagued the land. The friends who had been attracted to his wealth disappeared when his money was gone. No one offered to help him.

In order to survive, this young man had to take a job feeding pigs. "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants" (Luke 15:17-19; KJV).

How often do I act just like this prodigal? Foolishly thinking I deserve my Heavenly Father's blessings and complaining when I feel I'm entitled to more. What wisdom can be learned when I humble myself and take my rightful place as a servant, giving thanks to the almighty King for all He's done for me. Tuning my heart to be thankful. The Psalmist said, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night..." (Psalm 92:1-2).

Today is the perfect day to begin practicing praise. Take the Psalmist's advice, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24)!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me for the many times I take Your blessings for granted, and live with a spirit of entitlement. Help me to submit myself to You, taking my rightful position as Your servant. Thank You for Your love and mercy. I choose to praise You, today! Amen.