Thanksgiving With Gratitude

“Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

Where does thankfulness come from?
Does it involuntarily jump up like a playful kitten
Ready to pounce?
Or does it tiptoe into one’s room
Where hurt or pain has trounced?

When I don’t feel thankful …
Can I choose to open my heart’s door?
And there concede I really do have
So much to be thankful for.

Our lives are so filled with busyness
And we’re ever in such a hurry,
You’d think to show a bit of gratitude
Would be too much to curry.

Yet our Loving , Heavenly Father,
Who never takes His eyes off of us,
Ever so often reminds us to always
“Give thanks and trust.”

“Trust? with life as crazy as it gets
Would be insane,” you say.
But, when you finally bow your head
Humbled as you pray, …

You are only giving what is due
The One who gives your every breath,
Then carries you to Heaven,
Past the sting of death.

When we gather in our homes—that may have
forgotten the Source of all this blessing,
May we allow Him precedence over the
Turkey and the dressing.

by Darla J. Short~Lewis

Transformation

“And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

This is one of my favorite scriptures. The first few words ,“Do not be conformed to this world” was easy for me. I never wanted to conform with anything. To be the same as other people always seemed boring—cookie cutter people is what I thought. That is, until I became a Christian. But even then, I was at a loss with the stereotypical descriptions that came to mind.

Then one day I read the above scripture and realized God never wanted me to conform into something I wasn’t, but to be transformed—by renewing my mind. Throw out all those images I had in my mind of what a Christian looked like. Then came the question, how was I going to transform into someone who knew the will of God?

Well, by submitting my will to the will of the only perfect one, Jesus Christ our Lord. His death on the cross transformed this sinner into a saint (a set-apart one). Anyone can conform with their surroundings, but to rise above—to be changed from the inside out—is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Easier said than done, huh? That’s how I felt—remember, I’m the non-conformist. If the Holy Spirit was going to transform me into the image of God and teach me to know the will of God, wouldn’t I be like everyone else? His answer: “Yes and no.”

“For as in one body we have many members and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:4-5

We are all different. But in the body of Christ our differences are not a bad thing. Even non-conformists like me can be used by God. He transformed me by changing me from being self-centered into being others-centered. When I study His word, He gives me words to write to encourage others. He lets me be me by showing others how I love Jesus and how thankful I am for His transforming power in my life.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13

At first, these scriptures also made me stop and ask, “Lord, if everybody is doing the same thing doesn’t that make us the same?” The answer once more: “Yes and no.” I questioned Him further. “Again, Lord?”

The best part of being transformed by God is that I can freely bring Him my questions, doubts, even my quirks. I can be myself and know I’m loved exactly the way I am. The new and improved me longs to be a blessing to my Lord and encourage His daughters.

“I appeal to you therefore brothers (and sisters) by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. … let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

That, my friends, is the first step to being transformed. He takes you just the way you are and transforms you into something beautiful and new.

by Eve Montano

The Lord Will...

“I am sure of this that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

“You never finish anything” was the advertising tag line for a cigarette commercial in the 1960’s. These words have echoed in my mind many times since then. I’ve heard that line from my parents and even heard it in my own thoughts. It’s my nature to hide when things get uncomfortable, procrastinating until I can pull the matter back out and re-examine it. But, left to myself, I may decide not to do anything about it at all.

It is curious though—when something is really important, the Lord will bring it up again and again until I give it to Him. It’s as if the Lord is saying “We need to shine My Light on this, chase away the emotion and let’s deal with what you can learn from this”. Don’t think I haven’t said “Not now! It hurts” and even, “I can live without knowing.” But I’ve also learned that God—Abba Father God—loves me and will never put me in a place of danger. While the stretching and molding may hurt, I have always gotten to the other side with a deeper knowledge of the love of God, blessed by what I’ve learned, and with an understanding as to the “Why.”

"For He performs what is appointed for me, and many such decrees are with Him.” Job 23:14

Left to myself I would not get very much accomplished, but I am not my own. I belong to the Creator of the universe. I don’t have to hide under a rock to avoid dealing with people or things that make me uncomfortable. I can stand on the Rock of my salvation and while I may procrastinate, my Lord’s timing is perfect and His will for me is sure.

God is faithful. He will complete. He performs what He’s appointed. “You never finish anything” will never, ever apply to Jesus Christ. Because of His finished work on the Cross, He has taken our sin, pain and procrastination upon Himself.

“The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; do not forsake the works of Your hands.” Psalm 138:8

By Eve Montano

A Prayer

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27

God my Father, and God of my faith,

I beseech thee—enable me to be the same in the dark, as I appear to be in the light.
Add daily to my knowing You.
Change my reactions from ‘how dare they’, to forgive them.
Enable me to listen more and talk less …
To think less of myself and more of all others …
To not compare, overspend, overeat, or envy, …
To bear annoyances without saying anything outside or thinking anything inside, but to see each person as You do.
By Your Spirit, set me apart more each day.
Make me a set-apart wife, mother, neighbor, sister and friend.
Purify my heart.
Make me a refuge for the hurting and marginalized … like You are.
May I be a great forgiver and forgetter … like You are.
Remove the log from my eye so that I can pray with a pure heart for the speck in the other guy’s eye.
Make my mouth to gush forth pure water, and speak evil of no one.
I pray to You, for nothing is too hard for You.
Amen.

Written by Kelly Knight