“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23

Giving thanks to God can be a hard thing to do,

….especially when things happen that make us more likely to say, “Why, God?” instead.

Thank offerings come easy some days. The sun shines and we feel the blessing of the Lord. Thanksgiving is our natural response.

On other days, thanksgiving is truly a sacrifice. In the middle of writing this devotional, our home was broken into. Thanksgiving was not my first response. Yet here in this verse, God tells us an amazing truth. He says that when we offer thanks and praise to Him, even when it’s a sacrifice to do so, we honor Him. This prepares the way for Him to work on our behalf. Thanksgiving is actually a door.

I pondered how to thank God in the midst of this violation. I was not thankful for the loss, but I discovered I could be thankful in it. As I intentionally shifted my gaze to God and not to the mess around me, I became aware of being thankful for several things: our personal safety, that certain items were not taken, the immediate help and care from family and friends, and the reminder that God is our Warrior, working, even fighting on our behalf. As a result, God’s peace settled over our hearts and minds and over our home.

Thank You, Lord God, that thanksgiving is so much more than a trite “attitude of gratitude.” Thank You for the truth of Your word that when we do give You our thanks, even when it’s hard to, we honor You and it opens a door for You to work and to bring Your peace and wisdom. Thank You that we can always offer thanksgiving for who You are and all You are to us — even in the midst of challenges. We praise You and ask this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.

By Gail Rodgers
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Thanksgiving Day Sample Prayers

Thanksgiving Quotes

Let Thanksgiving be the Habit of your Life

The post Thank Offerings appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

You probably know that the word “confession” means, “agreeing with God”. When we confess our sins we don’t do it to tell God what we’ve done. He already knows that. We confess to say, “Yes God, I agree that that was wrong” and then we can repent. But what God showed me recently was that there are two things God and I need to agree on, not just one.

So often in confession I’ve listed out my sins and sat there in quiet guilt. The list is always so long. This time God spoke to me. “We agree about what you’ve done, Claire.” He said. “Now can we agree about who you are?”

There in that private moment He brought to mind verses that spoke of God’s love for me. He reminded me how I am fearfully and wonderfully made, how I am chosen and precious and planned for. I sat there quietly until I could agree with God about that too. I sat there resting in God’s truth.

It is so easy to see our own flaws and shortcomings. But when God sees us He doesn’t only see what we’ve done, He sees who we are. There are two sides to confession. Agree with God about what you have done and repent, but don’t miss the other side. Agree with God about who you are: loved and wanted and precious and worth dying for.

In that moment of vulnerability that always comes with confession, let God love you. Walk out into the world forgiven.

Father, Thank you that because of Jesus I do not stand condemned. Help me to be quick to confess and quick to remember Your promises. Help me to understand what it means to be forgiven and keep my eyes fixed on You. Amen.

The next time you go to God in confession, take some time to think about how much He loves you. Pay attention to the story you tell yourself about who you are.

Sometimes accepting who we truly are in God is one of the hardest things to do.

By Claire Colvin
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•   God Programs Seashells
•  What a Friend we have in Jesus
•  Salvation Explained

The post The Other Side of Confession appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”  Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

Do you struggle with regret?  

If yes, then you are not alone.

Throughout my life, often because of action or inaction, decision, or indecision — both trivial and crucial, I have experienced regret.

Regret is a common human emotion or feeling with variable intensity. Nobody is exempt from experiencing regret at some point in life. However, when we allow regret to illegitimately consume us, it births and breeds unwarranted shame and guilt and inescapably paralyzes our faith walk. Inevitably, we waste our sorrow on past outcomes — we often cannot change.

Scripture conveys many instances of human regret. Paul reflected on his former self, Saul, and how he zealously prosecuted, ravaged, and condemned many Jesus followers. Although we cannot know Paul’s inner thoughts, we can imagine the turmoil of personal regret. In Philippians, Paul implored his readers to keep a healthy perspective. Paul, undeterred by his own sordid past and maybe not allowing regret to consume him, resolved to persevere through by focusing on God’s call, glory, and prize.

Regretting sin is healthy, but, as Christ-followers, we cannot allow life regret to paralyze our faith walk. We need to allow our regrets to be our tutor, so we learn from life’s mistakes. Then we can confess our sins and be reconciled. Like Paul, we can embrace regret as an opportunity to reassess our perspective.

Do you dwell on your past regrets? Don’t waste your sorrows dwelling on the past – especially past outcomes you often have no power to change.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your unending grace. Protect me from my own understanding and limited perspective. Help me to tell the difference between sin and common life mistakes. Help me not dwell in the past by living life through a rear-view mirror, but helping me to focus on life’s road ahead by seeing and living life from a kingdom perspective, embracing your call and pressing on. Amen.

By Alan Mitchell
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• God’s Plan – A Study on God’s Destiny for Me?
• How to Spend a Day With the Lord
• Hearing God’s Voice – a Study by Charles Stanley

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post Don’t Waste Your Sorrow appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Love one another as I have loved you” John 13:34

The Greek word used for love (agape) denotes an unselfish affection.  The final phrase is the essential one: “as I have loved you.” Have you let God love you?  Please don’t hurry past the question.

We don’t love people because people are lovable.  People can be cranky, stubborn, selfish, and cruel.  We love people for this reason: we have come to experience and believe the love that God has for us.  We are beneficiaries of an unexpected, undeserved, yet undeniable gift— the love of God.

It is only by receiving our Father’s agape love that we can discover an agape love for others.  Be loved, and then love.  Just as hurt people hurt people, loved people love people.  So let God love you!

This is how happiness happens.

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

The post Have You Let God Love You? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Listen to Psalm 62:1.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.“

Listen to the NKJV translation.

“Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalm 62:1-2).

God of hope is the essence of your Father. It is who He is, and you are in Him (Romans 15:13).

Be blessed with rest in the God of hope alone when your expectation is delayed. You are in the waiting room of the God of hope, anticipating and expecting as you are learning the meaning of hope. The Hebrew words for hope and wait come from the same root word. The Hebrew words translated hope mean “confidence, twisting in labor pains, waiting, expectation, patience, trust, enduring, expectancy, something longed for.”

Some of these meanings of hope are not for the faint of heart. Be blessed with faithfulness in the face of circumstances that look nothing like hopeful. Take refuge in Him and take new courage. Be blessed as you connect with your Father in hope in a special and deep way. Be blessed with unshakable hope in Him, when everything else is shaken. Stand firmly on the solid rock of God’s faithfulness and timing.

Be blessed with rest and quietness deep in your being that come from Jesus in you. Receive secure hope in Christ Jesus in you, the life of God flowing to you, your hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). He is all. Be steadfast in abundant hope by his presence in you filling up what is lacking that you can’t humanly think, do, or feel.

Listen to the confident position of intimacy and hope the psalmist expressed in Psalm 84, and take your position in God there.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young, a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah
9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you

Be blessed with knowing God intends you to pass through every valley of trouble with His wisdom and grace and hope. Be blessed as the God of hope makes a door of hope in your Valley of Trouble (Hosea 2:15).

Be blessed as the One who is your hope turns your trouble into springs of hope (Psalm 84:6).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
From: You Are Blessed In The Names Of God

FURTHER READING

• He Lets Me Rest
• The Lord is My Shepherd
•  Jesus is Always There!

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws

The post The Position of Hope appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“To you O Lord, I lift up my soul, in you I trust, O my God…Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love…according to your love remember me.”
Psalm 25:1,6-7

What a wonderful plea!  David knew God so well he could come before Him, trusting that God would keep His promise and provide mercy because He loved David so very much. Guess what? So can we.

The soul is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit when we commit our lives to Christ. David lifts his soul up to God, offering God his most inner thoughts, his hands and feet, and his devotion. Why? Because he entrusts himself to God. He knows that if he puts God in control, God will protect him, teach him and guide him. He says so later in the Psalm. “May integrity and uprightness protect me because my hope is in you” (25:21).

If we have confessed our wrongdoings and asked for forgiveness before we  retire each night, then each morning our souls start off as an empty glass. What will fill it? Will we let God’s loving mercy and grace overflow it or will we fill it with the things of this world? Will we pour in anger, mistrust, hurt? What if, like a thirsty child, we rose up on tiptoes and handed God our glass to fill throughout the day? He’d pour out the frustrations and pain and refill it with His love and peace. God never forgets us. We need to remember, like David, to lift our souls and trust in our Lord who loves us dearly. After all, didn’t He lift Himself up out onto the cross out of love for us?

Dearest Lord, I pray that I may surrender a little more each day to Your use, and trust more and more in Your mercy and love — that I can lift up my glass for You to fill with Your presence. And, I pray that I can lift myself up as well to You every morning: forgiven, cleansed, and ready to be used. Amen.

By Julie Cosgrove
Used by permission

Do you know the goodness of God? Have you surrendered your will and soul to his life altering power? Today you can start that relationship and journey with HIm. It starts with a simple prayer that expresses to HIm that you believe that Jesus is who He said he is – the Son of God.

This is a sample prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

FURTHER READING

• Knowing Jesus Personally
• Spiritual Oxygen
• How to choose a local church
• How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

The post Lift Up Your Soul appeared first on Thoughts About God.

One day it dawned on me.  I had become the very thing I hate–  a hypocrite.  

A pretender.  Two-faced. I’d written sermons about people like me. Christians who care more about their appearance than integrity.

I knew what I needed to do.  I’d written sermons about that too!  1 John 1:8-9 says,

“If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins because we can trust God to do what is right.”

I needed to confess. What is confession?  Well confession is not complaining.  If I merely recite my problems and rehash my woes, I’m whining. Confession is a radical reliance upon grace.

Maybe you need to do what I’ve done in the last few days.  You just need to confess.  God will hear your confession.  And in your confession you will find a wonder of God’s grace.  You see grace creates an honest confession.  And then his great grace, receives it.

By Max Lucado
used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:    
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/
Read more GRACE

FURTHER READING

Grace to Keep on Yielding

Lavish Grace

God’s Grace

The post Confession is a Radical Reliance Upon Grace appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.” Psalm 89:2 NLT

Do you ever question where you’re at in life?

Do you ever wonder why a certain thing happens to you and not to others? Maybe you lost your job but your friends have theirs. Or you’re sick. I can’t even guess what you are going through. And, friend, it can be so hard to understand why bad things happen, right?

Even though we may have many questions about life’s heartaches, it’s so important to know that God is still powerful. He is still on the throne.

Sometimes it’s only when we look back that we can understand the lesson through adversity. Or it can be the mistake we made so we can learn to improve in the future. Or someone else’s mistake.

Every moment of your life, even in adversity, is an opportunity for God to show you his love and faithfulness. Remember and believe that God loves you. His presence is with you. That’s why we can trust God, no matter what happens, because we know how much he loves us.

He can give me and you a new beginning in any area that we need. We can ask him for renewal, to transform.

Wait on him with hopefulness. I encourage you to rely on God. His love never fails. God can do beyond what you and I can imagine or think. It’s never too late for him to show his love.

David said, “What, what would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!” (Psalm 27:13 AMP, Classic Edition)

Heavenly Father, no matter what I have been through, I thank you for listening to me. I pray that you strengthen me in my faith so I will never ever forget that your love never fails and that you are with me.

Today: Think about the love that never fails. Stay thankful for God’s faithfulness.

By Fab Batsakis
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

To Be Loved By You

Amazing Grace. Unfailing Love

Unfailing Love – A Devotional by Daniel Forster

God’s Unfailing Love – Devotional by Charles Stanley

The Relentless Tide of Gods Love – by Gail Rodgers

The post The Unfailing Love appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I am the vine; you are the branches; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)

Life tends to get busy. I had a meeting with two women in our home yesterday and we shared some of what our week was like. Let’s just say our plates were full. (A third friend called to cancel, because she simply hadn’t managed to finish up her work in time for the meeting.)

I don’t mind being busy, but I always want to have time for the people and activities that are truly important in my life. When life gets full, I find it crucial to know my priorities.

I was reminded again of that when visiting a friend’s house recently. When her husband opened up his computer, the following words flashing across his screen: “Tap into the Source.”

I can’t do anything disconnected from my Source. My Source offers me peace in the midst of chaos. My Source offers me strength when it feels like I have nothing left to offer. My Source offers grace beyond what I deserve.

My Source offers everything I need for every situation I may encounter. My Source feeds my soul.

Thank you, Jesus, that you are my “Source” of everything I need for today. Amen.

By Idelette McVicker
Used by Permission

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FURTHER READING

• We Plan, God Directs
• Understanding the Holy Spirit
• Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post Tap Into the Source appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

It’s crazy how easily we can talk ourselves into wanting to be more, have more, and do more. And for me, it happens most when I let the world creep in where Jesus should reside.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Taking delight in the Lord means that our hearts truly find peace and fulfillment in Him. If we truly find satisfaction and worth in Christ, Scripture says He will give us the longings of our hearts. The idea behind this verse and others like it is that, when we truly rejoice or “delight” in the eternal things of God, our desires will begin to parallel His, and we will never go unfulfilled.

Many delight in wealth, status, material possessions, and other temporary things of this world, but they are never satisfied. They never truly get what they want, which is why they are always wanting more.

Everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father, but from the world which seeks pleasure. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

We will never be deeply fulfilled or “happy” with the things this world has to offer. But if we place our joy and hope in God first, He will meet all of our needs.

Have you trusted God first in your life? If not, do so today and receive the desires of your heart.

THOUGHT: What gives you pleasure in life? Does it come from the world or from Jesus?

PRAYER: Father God, help me to keep my eyes fixed on you and look to you and to you alone for true delight and pleasure in life.

By John Grant
Used by Permission
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

FURTHER READING

Our Heart’s Desires

Delight Yourself in the Lord

God is My Delight

The post The Delights of Your Heart appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust. It can’t be half-hearted. Either it is a full trust or it is clouded with suspicion and doubt. So, as we face the everyday challenges of life, or as we look for answers to deep and difficult problems, let’s put our full trust in the LORD. Let’s ask for his wisdom and guidance as we make our choices. Let’s give him praise for the good in our life and seek his blessing for the days ahead. Why? Because he longs to bless us with life, both now, and forevermore.

O LORD, my Lord, I place my trust in you. Please guide my steps as I seek to bring you glory. Help me in the decisions I face. Give me discernment as I seek to influence others and to share your grace with them. Give me the right words to say so that I can have a redemptive influence on my family, with my friends, and among my co-workers. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware
Used by Permission
follow Phil’s daily devotionals on https://www.verseoftheday.com

Further Reading

•   Hope for the Hopeless
•   The Healing – A  poem by Katy Kauffman
•  Salvation Explained

The post Trust With All Your Heart appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22:13 (NKJV)

Jesus is the Alpha, the First; Jesus is the Omega, the Last; Jesus is the Beginning and the End. In our walk of faith, we take our first step and last step in Jesus, and He is every step along the way.

Jesus is not only the End of our destination in life, but He is also the End of our motivation in life—He is the purpose and the reason for our journey. He is the End itself! In our walk of faith we do use Jesus as a means to what we desire, because our heart’s deepest desire is met in Him.

In Him we have arrived at God’s desired place for us in this world. Jesus is the fulfillment we seek, the completion we need, the love we long for in our hearts. He is the wisdom that establishes us, the righteousness that justifies us, the sanctification that purifies us, and the redemption that makes us His own.

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NKJV)

“For to me, to live is Christ…” Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:17-19 (NKJV)

“All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:16-18 (NKJV)

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him.” Colossians 2:9-10 (NKJV)

By Roy Lessin
used by permission

FURTHER READING

The Beginning and the End

Names of Jesus

In Spite of the Circumstances

The post Jesus, the End! appeared first on Thoughts About God.