Give Thanks

Give Thanks

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"...in everyting give thanks;

for this is God's will for you

in Christ Jesus."

I Thessalonians 5:18

I got up earyly this morning, 3:30 a.m. to be precise, and was sipping my first cup of coffee when this verse in I Thessalonians came to mind. And as I sat there in my big over-stuffed chair I realized that I had so much to be grateful for:

-I am alive

-Jesus loves me

-My family is safe

-My life is full of purpose, i.e. to seek, know, love, and enjoy God,.

And of course the list goes on an on. The problem is we don't stop to think about how blessed and fortunate we are. It is so much easier to focus in on the negative that life throws at us, but...according to this verse...it is God's will that we give thanks. Because?

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift

is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation

of shifting shadow."

James 1:17

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Our lives may not be perfect. Whose is? But the point is...God has blessed all of us in one way or another to one degree or another. It is our privileged responsibility to appreciate, acknowledge, and express our gratitude to Him. Speak well of Him. Praise and thank Him for who He is...what He has given...and all the good things that He has done. He deserves not only our attention but our praise. Besides...there are all sorts of benefits that are derived from having a thankful heart.

-We are free to enjoy life

-Our circumstances seem brighter

-The burdens that we are carrying seem lighter

-We become more optimistic

-We realize that, indeed, there is hope

John Piper wrote,

How can we not be thankful when we owe everything to God?

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Spend time over the holidays looking for all the good that is in your life. Make a deliberate and conscious effort to be exceedingly glad and express your gratitude not only to God but also to others. You will be surprised at how infectious thanksgiving can be.

Love in Christ, Patty Clark

God is All-Power

"See now that I, I am He,

And there is no god besides Me;

It is I who put to death and give life.

I have wounded, and it is I who heal;

And there is no one who can deliver from My hand."

Deuteronomy 32:39

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The extent of God's all-powerfulness is extraordinary, incomprehensible, and...awe-inspiring.

All-powerful. In that small three letter word, "all," we see something about God that should stop us in our tracks and change our lives forever. From God's own lips we learn that His power is...the greatest power in heaven or on earth. There is no power like God's power. None! There never has been. There never will be. God is God, and His divine and sovereign power is one of a kind.

It is hard for us to imagine what the all-powerfulness of God means exactly. That is because we are so feeble and finite, especially in our thinking. We are human. That means that our minds, bodies, and even the resources that we do have to live life successfully are limited too. That's a hard concept to grasp, especially when the world we live in tells us that we can do anything, even becomes gods if we want to and are willing to work hard enough. That is why we need to focus-in-on the all-powerfulness of God and what that, potentially at least, means to us and what difference it could make in our lives. Because...? Because God can do anything.

That is one of the reasons why studying the nature of God is so important. What we learn about our God can change our lvies, for-the-better. That is why pursuing the person of God and learning the truth about Him is not a luxury. It is an absolute necessity if we want to live a truly abundant God-honoring life. We are weak. He is not. We are feeble. He is not. We are finite. He is not. God is all-powerful! That is why we so desperately need Him. Yes, we need God's loves. Absolutely. But we also need His supernatural strength and power to overcome our human deficiencies and live, if you will, supernatural lives for His purposes, pleasure, and glory.

The encouraging thing is...we don't have to fight the battles of life alone. We don't have to deal with the stresses and tension of our earthly existence armed only and merely with human logic, energy, and strength. There is a God and He chose you...and He chose me to be His own. We are His royal priests...His holy temples...and He has promised to supply all our needs, including His might. God's desire is to come into that special place that is our minds...our hearts

...our souls and share with us His supernatural power. Why? So we can excel and thrive...

perform all sorts-of signs and wonders and move mountains in His name for, of course, His glory.

Will you let Him share with you what you need the most...His infinite, supernatural, and timeless power? If not, why not? You know that you will never make it on your own.

Until next time...

Love in Christ, Patty Clark

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You were created to be filled with one thing...

God HImself.