Give Thanks

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 118:1

G. K. Chesterton once remarked that"...the worst moment for the atheist is when he feels thankful and has no one to thank". As believers we should be constantly aware of who we can thank for all that we are blessed with. I have a little ceramic pumpkin on my front door that says, "Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart".

God can do amazing things through those that are humble and grateful.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Words and Thoughts

"May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14

This verse was the last one in my devotion this morning. I needed to be reminded of how I am supposed to start my day--by surrendering my words and my thoughts to the Lord. How much pain and frustration could be avoided in my life on a daily basis if I would meditate on this verse in the morning and make it my prayer.

I confess that so often my words and my thoughts are simply reactions to a situation rather than a determined response based on what God says about my life and His plan and desire for me.

If God is really my Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer, then why wouldn't I want Him to have control over my words and my thoughts? I am so thankful for His grace that continues to forgive and cover my sin. He is faithful!

The Way That I Take

"He knows the way that I take. And when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." Job 23:10

I like the "gold" part, don't you. If there's a line for that--sign me up! I wish it were that easy, don't you? Job spoke these words not in the middle of some mountaintop experience with God or on cloud nine in his personal life. He was in the depths of despair. Everything had totally fallen apart. He had lost everything and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why!

This declaration was made in response to his "so called" friend Eliphaz's attempt at analyzing Job's walk with God and pointing out his shortcomings to explain the devastating situation. Some friend, huh? I prefer the kind that just listen and cry along with me when I need them to. No finger pointing. Just an arm around my weak shoulders. Don't get me wrong. We all need christian friends who love us enough to confront us with the truth when we need to hear it. But the best kind of friends are sensitive to the Holy Spirit and know when to speak and when to pray and cry.

My very best friend knows"..the way that I take." And I know I can trust Him with the gold part, too.