“Oh LORD God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, Lord.” Psalm 89:8

I am extremely grateful for our God’s magnificent creation. I never cease to be amazed at the thousands of varieties of birds, flowers, trees, leaves, rocks and plants.  I love gazing at different mountain ranges such as the Rocky Mountains in Western Canada in all their grandeur or the mountains of California and Arizona with their varying shadows.  I love quiet streams; gushing waterfalls; rivers; lakes; and oceans. I am continually amazed at the way God controls the oceans and how he allows the tides to come inland just so far and then it has to retreat again.

We read in Isaiah 42: 12
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales.”

When I consider that all the water in the world can fit in God’s hand, I know he is a BIG God.

My job keeps me in front of a computer for most of the day and my husband, Marvin, has made a wonderful garden for me just outside my office window.  I get to enjoy rhododendrons, hydrangea, azaleas, and many other flowers while I am working. He has also placed the bird feeder within my view.

One morning, last winter, after a heavy snowfall, I filled up the bird feeder and the birds were so happy. They proceeded to put on a real show for me – flitting from one branch to another and then back to the feeder.

Many different birds visit us and although I love them all humming birds have always made me stop what I am doing to watch them. They are amazing:

They fly forward, backward, shift sideways, stop in midair.
They can beat their wings 60 to 200 times per second.
They lap nectar with their tongues (some say that their tongue is like a straw).
They can fly up to 60 miles an hour.
They live 5 -6 years in the wild.
They are the smallest bird in the world.
They consume, on average, half their weight in sugar each day.
Some of them migrate 600 miles to a warmer climate.

When I see these little birds with their magnificent iridescent colors, I am reminded of how wonderful and majestic and amazing our God is. And because He has created so many wonders for us to enjoy here on earth, I know they are but a taste of what He has in store for us in heaven.  For this I am so thankful.

Father, I am so thankful for the wonders of your creation. Thank you that you didn’t create the world in black and white or without sounds and smells. I love you God, because you are so great and so kind. Amen.

by Katherine Kehler
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• Revel in Creation
• A Prayer of Praise for God’s Creation
• A Heart of Thankfulness

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Becky had often heard the little saying, “have an attitude of gratitude“, and for the most part she did. She could count her blessings and generally found a thankful spirit.

But this – there was no thankfulness in this! Her “attitude of gratitude” could find nothing for which to be thankful for. If she were not careful her heart could slip into despair and yes, even bitterness.

She didn’t feel like reading her Bible but she picked it up and flipped through it. Her eyes fell on a familiar verse she had highlighted with:

“In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”.
1 Thessalonians 6:18

It seemed to hit her with new clarity. It said “in everything” not “for everything“. She pondered the thought. If she could not be thankful for this particular circumstance, what did it mean to be thankful in it?

When we ask sincere questions as we grow in our faith, with hearts hungry to understand God’s ways, the Holy Spirit shows us the answer.

Thoughts tumbled in her mind that  she could be thankful for God’s faithfulness to her. As she recalled times past when life seemed out of control, she recalled God’s steadying hand on her and how His strength had carried her in difficult times.
(Matthew 11:28)

She could be thankful that God promised to work things out for good, yes; she had seen His hand bring good out of the most troubling things. (Romans 8:28)

With fresh realization her heart grew a bit lighter as she saw what God meant – be thankful in her circumstance because she knew the God who was bigger than any problem and He would be faithful to help her, His child.

Prayer & reflection:

Father God, I truly am thankful for my blessings. But it is quite another thing to be thankful in the hard times and with the unanswered questions of life. Thank you for understanding it is not easy for me. Thank you for showing me that when I can’t be thankful for the hard stuff, You remind me to just be thankful in the hard stuff – for it is in the hard stuff where Your character of faithfulness will be proven over and over to me. Thank you for the confidence that You will see me through. Help me to lean hard on Your strength, and wisdom and care. Thank you that You will build a track record in my life through Your faithfulness. You enable me to be thankful in hard times because You are my God and You can be trusted with my life – even in the hard stuff! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• I am Thanking You right NOW

• I Love You, Jesus

•  Salvation Explained

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“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” 1 Peter 1:6

Overnight, Dawn Hall was forced to become the financial provider for her family. Her first task was to find a way to pay for her husband’s experimental cancer treatments.  Surgery could not remove all his cancerous brain tumors.

Oh, dear one, Satan tries to rob us of our joy in Christ when we face tough trials.  But Dawn found solace in meditating on God’s Word and praying.  She released her tears and frustrations to God.  And using Dawn’s love of cooking, God opened the door for her to sell cookbooks.  Through it all, God blessed and grew her cooking career and speaking ministry.

Dawn says that

“thankfulness is an attitude we choose to have. It’s not based on what we have or where we are in life.”

Yes, friend, as you face life’s challenges, choose thankfulness.  It’s a choice with no regrets.

by Vonette Bright
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Always be Joyful!

I am Thankful for…

Unexpected Opportunity to be Thankful – Thankful for having cancer?  For Herb Buller, yes.

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Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff!

To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart! To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. The apostle Paul said,

“Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”  (Ephesians 5:20 NLT).

The surest path out of a slump is marked by the road sign, Thank you. But what of the disastrous days? Grateful then? Jesus was. “On the night when he was betrayed,” Scriptures says,

“the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NLT).

How often do you see the words betrayed and thanks in the same sentence—much less in the same heart? Give thanks…and see what happens.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission.

From: God is With You Every Day
To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about/

Further Reading

•   I am Thankful for…

•  Thanking Abundantly

•  Salvation Explained

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”  (Colossians 3:15)

We live in a world that often produces within us the very opposite of peace.

Our stress and busyness is a normal response to the rush and cares of the day. Yet God calls us to something higher. He calls us to peace.

Is peace ruling your heart today? It can. When you and I first believed that Jesus is the Son of God and opened our hearts to receive His forgiveness and power in our lives we were given the gift of God’s peace. Do you recall receiving that peace? It’s a peace that is unexplainable and peace that remains even as life and the news of the day swirl around us.

Yet it’s easy to loose our grasp on that wonderful gift. It’s offered afresh to us every morning as one of His great mercies toward us.

•    We need His peace to calm our hearts in challenging days.
•    His peace brings health to our minds and our bodies.
•    Living with peace in our hearts honors God.
•    Our peace helps point others who are looking for peace to God.

His peace is free for the taking. God tells us how. Listen again to the wonderful words of life from His word:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

It sounds like it’s a choice. I can let peace rule or I can let peace get buried at the bottom of all those other responses to life. Just how does one go about letting peace rule the heart? God tells us one of the basic steps to walking in peace. He always gives the “how to” when He asks something of us. Catch the often-overlooked words that this verse ends with: “and be thankful”.

Choosing to look at your day and your circumstances and your life with a heart that is filled with gratitude will open the door to peace. Yes, it’s true.

Life is not perfect anywhere on this planet. There are challenges both large and small that come to each one of us. Each challenge has the potential to rob our peace. Yet as we choose to be thankful to God in the midst of those challenges His peace will begin to rule our hearts.

Yes, it can sound trite especially if you are walking in a deep and challenging place today but the principle is sure. It is foundational to a heart that is ruled with peace. “And be thankful.”

If it feels impossible to be thankful where you stand right now ask God to help you to say “thank you” to Him that He alone can give you peace. Thank Him for His love and His care and His power to lead you today through the maze of your life. He will help you as you choose gratitude today and let peace rule your heart.

Prayer of action:

Father God, so often my heart finds it easier to see the things that I am not thankful for. Open my eyes and my heart to having a new attitude of gratefulness to You.

Help me today to enter into each part of my day as doing what is in front of me for You and as one representing You. Help me to be keenly aware of all the places today that I can offer You my thanksgiving as I choose this day to LET Your peace rule my heart. Fill my mind with the things You bring to my life: Your strength, Your power, Your help and Your love. Thank you that You will help me choose well what rules my heart today. I choose Your peace. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Questions: What are you thankful for? How can you be more thankful?

by Gail Rodgers
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Peace of Mind and Heart – by Daniel Forster

•  Sample Prayer:  Prayer for Inner Peace

•  Salvation Explained

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When we pray, expressing our concerns to God, we should take time to express our thankfulness.

•    We tell God our problems, making our requests known to Him with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

•    We are devoted to prayer, staying alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2)..

•    We rejoice, praying without ceasing, giving thanks to God (1 Thessalonians. 5:16-18).

A thankful life is a prayerful life. A life void of prayer is an unthankful life.

Thanksgiving in Heaven

We don’t know a lot about heaven, often making us wonder what it will be like. One thing occurring in heaven is thanksgiving.

•    The angels in heaven give thanks to God (Revelation 11:17).

•    When we get to heaven, we will give thanks to God for salvation, as those who were washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:1-15).

If we’re not thankful in our prayers upon the earth, it’s doubtful we’ll live in heaven, where we’ll be busy offering thanks to God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Every Day is Thanksgiving, for Christians

As we experience God’s goodness in our lives, and offer thanks to Him, we could say that every day is a day of thanksgiving. We don’t feast upon turkey every day, in observance of a secular holiday, but we offer our thanks to God in prayer, reflecting our thankfulness in everything we say and do.

•    The result of our thankful lives, doing the good works God has ordained, is that it produces thanksgiving to God.

•    The effect of things we do upon the earth is far reaching, even reaching the throne of God.

Whatever you do in the bustle of day-to-day life, remember to give thanks. And live in such a way that others, who watch you and experience God’s goodness from your hands, can’t help but pause and offer up a prayer to express their thanks.  In these ways, God will be glorified, and receive the thanks He deserves.

Author Unknown

Further Reading

• Thanksgiving Day Sample Prayers

• When You Can’t Pray – Give Thanks

• I Choose to Give Thanks

The post Thanksgiving in Prayer appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“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

I felt unappreciated, unloved, and unworthy to call myself a Christian.

Jesus exuded a joyful confidence no matter what happened in his life. He lived each day in joyful obedience to the Father. The kind of life, he promised to his followers:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10).

But where was the joy in my life? Defeat and depression clung to me. It probably would never change. After all, I was by nature a melancholic. The experts said so.

One day as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor, oblivious to the small radio beaming its songs and messages, my tears mingled with the soapy water. I felt like such a failure. Suddenly a woman’s voice on the radio arrested me. “Are you living on Grumble Street?”she asked. “You’re complaining about all the things that are wrong in your life. Stop it. Move over to Praise Street and begin to thank God for all the things that are right in your life. Offer Him the sacrifice of praise.”

I sat up. If God had spoken my name out loud, it couldn’t have been more suited to my need. Then there is something I can do? I thought. I can choose thanksgiving even when I don’t feel like it. That’s why it’s called a sacrifice? I grabbed a pen and paper and began to write down some blessings:

Thank you, God, that I can scrub a kitchen floor: I have a home.
Thank you, God, for family; they’ll soon be home for supper.
Thank you, God, for the friendly neighbor who just waved at me.
Thank you, God, for how the wind plays in the branches of the tree.
Thank you, God, for how the afternoon sunshine lights up the bush

Saying “thank you, God” out loud, felt a bit strange at first, still it was the beginning of forming a new habit, the habit to focus on the blessing of the present moment.  For was each blessing not a tangible “I-love-you” message from God himself?

I discovered that emotions are followers. They follow our thinking. As I continued to focus on the blessing of the present moment, my emotions caught on to the new “me”. Not a grumbling me but a joyful me.

My children also began to notice. “Mom, you find pleasure in the weirdest things,” my daughter laughed, “like a spider web.” Yes, indeed! For when I sing his praises, God is very near.

Dear Father, I want to offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving every day and prepare the way for your blessing to flood my heart and soul and overflow into my family.

by Helen Lescheid
Used by permission

Further Reading

•  When You Can’t Pray -Give Thanks

•  Give Thanks in All Circumstances? 

• Giving God Thanks and Praise 

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Recently, a family visited and thanked me for ministering to them in a difficult situation. I felt blessed because we live in a world where gratitude is often not expressed and help given is easily forgotten. Undercutting and backstabbing seem to be the order of the day! This article reflects on three areas in which we should always be thankful and show gratitude.

Thankful for God’s Goodness

It amazes me how easily people forget God’s blessings. I have prayed with people for suitable employment but once they get the blessing, their job, and not God, gets their time and commitment. I have prayed with others for healing but once their health is restored, they chase worldly pursuits with no time for God! Sad, but often true!

For many years God was Israel’s King and provided for the Nation. However, in 1 Samuel 8, Israel unashamedly asks for a human King of their own, to keep pace with the Nations around them. They were asking for trouble and boy, didn’t they get it! They forgot God’s goodness.

A Gospel song titled ‘Remind me O Lord’, has the following lyrics and should be our prayer. Remember I’m human and humans forget, So, remind me, remind me, O Lord.

Thankful for Others’ Goodness

A Pastor trains a new intern for many years, but when established, the intern starts his own ministry, taking part of the congregation with him. A young lady invites a friend going through trouble into their home for a season, to help her through her trauma. She begins an affair with the friend’s husband and the family is devastated.  How often we hear stories like this. It reminds us that we need to cultivate gratitude and not forget what others have done for us.

In 1 Samuel 23:1-12, David saved the people of Keilah from the horrors of being captured by the Philistines. In response, they were ready to hand him over to King Saul! Talk about gratitude!

As much as people may like to brag about it, nobody makes it on their own. Along the way, people have invested their time, wisdom, advice and skills in us and given us a helping hand, when we needed it badly. Well, this just might be a good time to think of them by giving a call or sending a special gift or a ‘thank you’ card.  For some, this may be a great season to honor our spiritual leaders.

Let’s honor people while they are still alive. It’s so much better than sending flowers to their funeral!

Thankful for our Family’s Goodness
How often we take our spouse, children, parents and other family members for granted. We forget the love, faithfulness and commitment shown to us. It is said that home is the place where we are loved the most but also get hurt the most! At trying times, by being thankful and appreciative, we can stifle Satan’s strategies to invade our homes.

Husbands – Remember the girl you met at the altar, the one who bore your child and has stood by your side faithfully. Why not express your gratitude in a new and romantic way? The Kenny Rogers song says, ‘Buy me a rose, call me from work, open a door for me, what would it hurt’.
Wives – Remember the man you fell in love with and swooned over. Be thankful for what he has been to you. A little gray hair or extra weight need not bring negativity to your feelings!
Children – Be thankful for the mother who bore you inside of her; the father who has sacrificed so much for you.
Parents – Be thankful for the children God has blessed you with. Remember the joy they brought you in the growing up years. Love and pray them through the challenging years.

Together, let’s build a culture that often expresses thanks and appreciation!

Prayer – Lord, give me a heart of thanksgiving daily.

By Palitha Jayasooriya
used by permission

Further Reading

•  I am Thankful for…

•  Thanking Abundantly

•  Salvation Explained

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If you think you know God but do not live your life in gratitude before Him, it is doubtful that you really knew Him in the first place. A thankful heart honors God. Too often when we say we “know God,” what we actually mean is we know facts about God. But we should ask ourselves, “Do I truly know Him?”

Paul warns that just knowing doctrines about God is not enough to enter eternal life. He said,

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:20-21).

Even though we may know God, c When we are in that hardened, ungrateful state of mind, every word we speak is a spark lit by hell, set to destroy the quality of our lives (James 3:6).

H. W. Beecher said,

“Pride slays thanksgiving . . . a proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.” We should be thankful that we do not get what we deserve!

When God gives us less than we desire, it is not because He is teaching us poverty; what He is teaching us is thankfulness. You see, life — real life — is not based upon what we amass but on what we enjoy. Even in difficult circumstances God still gives us much to appreciate. We fail to see what the Lord has provided because our hearts are wrong.

Someone once said, “When I see a poor man who is grateful, I know if he were rich, he would be generous.” A thankful spirit is akin to a generous spirit, for both appreciate and receive the riches of God. When we are thankful with little, God can entrust us with much.

By Francis Frangipane
Used by Permission

Francis Frangipane
info@frangipane.org
www.frangipane.org
www.icitc.org
www.arrowbookstore.com

Further Reading

•  Don’t Complain

•  Always be Joyful!

•  Salvation Explained

The post A Thankful Man Is a Humble Man appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Life is full of challenges and some of you are in the midst of one right now. Maybe like the Israelites in Psalm 107 you’ve gone from one difficult period to another. They were hungry and thirsty wanderers in the desert, prisoners in chains, sailors reeling in terror at the furious storm…each time they cried out to the Lord and He saved them. Remembering this, they are encouraged to “give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.”

We are encouraged to give thanks in everything, not for everything. Some things are plain evil and It wouldn’t be realistic to give thanks for them. But we can give thanks “in” them. How?

Thank you, Jesus, that you know all about this.

Thank you, that  you are with me in this.

Thank you that you are holding my hand as we   walk through it together.

Thank you that you are acting in love even now “for your love endures forever”

I’ve found that as I look back on that difficult time, I marvel how God has lovingly brought me through it. And he will do the same for you.

Father, I can thank you in everything for your plans for me are plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• I am Thankful for…

•  I am Thanking You right NOW

•  Salvation Explained

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Are we rationalizing away God’s miracles? Or are we thanking God for all He has done and is doing for you? 

“One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Glory to God, I’m healed!’ He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking Him for what He had done…Jesus asked, ‘Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine?’”
Luke 17:15-17

I have often thought about how exciting it will be when we get to heaven and our eyes will be opened to all the miracles God did for us – most of which we were unaware of. We will also come to realize how many times we rationalized away many of the miracles…like the nine lepers who were healed.

The cartoon character, Charlie Brown, gave several suggestions as to why the nine lepers never returned to Jesus to give thanks. They reveal a whole lot about human nature:

One man waited to see if the cure was real.
One waited to see if it would last.
One said he would see Jesus later.
One decided that he had never really had leprosy.
One said he would have gotten well anyway.
One gave the glory to the priests.
One said, “O, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything.”
One said, “Any rabbi could have done it.”
One said, “I was already much improved.”

Think about it…are we thanking God for all He has done and is doing for you? Or are we, like the lepers, rationalizing away God’s miracles?

Father, would you please give us an attitude of gratitude – every day? Thank You! Amen.

By Katherine Kehler
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Overflowing with Life!

•  What Do You Want Jesus to Say When you Meet Him Face to Face?

•  Salvation Explained

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“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9b

Power is sexy. We live in a world that admires strength and pities weakness. Fortune 500 companies, movie stars, and politicians all have some level of power over our lives. Some athletes have the physical power to dominate their opponents. We often celebrate and admire the power they all have.

But have you heard anyone brag about being weak lately? The Apostle Paul did. He had been through many life-threatening situations. Yet, he didn’t brag that he made it through in his own strength. He knew that it was only God’s strength that carried him.

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, his attitude is one of gratefulness for weakness. The man who once possessed the power to order the imprisonment and execution of Christ-followers, speaks of how glad he is to lack power because his weakness served to magnify how big his God is.

Paul understood that in his own limited power, he could not do the work for which God had called him—to spread the gospel to the world. But, by admitting his own limitations, he opened the door for God to work powerfully.

We should have the same attitude as Paul. Instead of relying on our own strength or resourcefulness, we should trust in God to supply the power. Then we can say along with Paul, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Lord, help me see my weaknesses as opportunities for You to show Your power. I offer me limitations to You today. I’m trusting You to do what I cannot. Amen.

Thought: Take the opportunity to thank God for your weaknesses. If there is a specific area of service you are struggling in, ask Him to give you the power to serve Him to the best of your ability.

By Debbie West
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

1. A Bible on How God Demonstrates His Love
2. A Bible Study on Waiting on God
3. A Bible Study on Thanksgiving
4. God’s Plan – A Study on God’s Destiny for Me?

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

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