From my "thankfulness" thoughts and meditations this morning:
I am thankful for:
A God who rains on the just and the unjust – often I am disobedient, and benefit from his blessings still. I am thankful that He is merciful, and waits patiently for me. That He woos me by His love long before any discipline comes.
A God who comforts me when I realize my shortcomings, and weep for the choices I have made.
A God who disciplines me when He has been patient enough with me, and it will do me no good for Him to wait any longer to bring me to my senses.
A God who is faithful to show me in countless ways, *that I need to pray more and stop being so independent. He calls me to prayer, and so often I say “Not right now.” When I think that I would jump at the chance to sit down with Dave Hunt (one of my favorite authors) and have a long conversation, I am ashamed that I tell the Creator of the universe “Not right now.”
A God who puts up with my many petitions. He says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6 & 7) He can handle my many requests. He does not roll His eyes and say “Here she comes again.” He wants me to come to Him and lay my burdens down.
A God who saw my great need and paid the price. What is a house worth? Only what someone is willing to pay. What is a soul worth? Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for my salvation. He paid what He thought I was worth. I am worth the blood He shed. He said so when He hung on the cross for me. He said “It is finished” – i.e., “Paid in full.” That is enough to quiet every voice out there that my enemy sends along to bring me down. I am His, and He is mine.
*From the book The Tyranny of the Urgent: “P.T. Forsyth once said, ‘The worst sin is prayerlessness.’ Does that statement surprise us? We usually think of murder and adultery as among the worst offenses against God and humanity. But the root of all sin is self-sufficiency – independence from the rule of God. When we fail to wait prayerfully for God’s guidance and strength, we are saying with our actions, if not with our words, that we do not need Him. How much of our service is actually a ‘going it alone’?”
I am thankful for:
A God who rains on the just and the unjust – often I am disobedient, and benefit from his blessings still. I am thankful that He is merciful, and waits patiently for me. That He woos me by His love long before any discipline comes.
A God who comforts me when I realize my shortcomings, and weep for the choices I have made.
A God who disciplines me when He has been patient enough with me, and it will do me no good for Him to wait any longer to bring me to my senses.
A God who is faithful to show me in countless ways, *that I need to pray more and stop being so independent. He calls me to prayer, and so often I say “Not right now.” When I think that I would jump at the chance to sit down with Dave Hunt (one of my favorite authors) and have a long conversation, I am ashamed that I tell the Creator of the universe “Not right now.”
A God who puts up with my many petitions. He says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6 & 7) He can handle my many requests. He does not roll His eyes and say “Here she comes again.” He wants me to come to Him and lay my burdens down.
A God who saw my great need and paid the price. What is a house worth? Only what someone is willing to pay. What is a soul worth? Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for my salvation. He paid what He thought I was worth. I am worth the blood He shed. He said so when He hung on the cross for me. He said “It is finished” – i.e., “Paid in full.” That is enough to quiet every voice out there that my enemy sends along to bring me down. I am His, and He is mine.
*From the book The Tyranny of the Urgent: “P.T. Forsyth once said, ‘The worst sin is prayerlessness.’ Does that statement surprise us? We usually think of murder and adultery as among the worst offenses against God and humanity. But the root of all sin is self-sufficiency – independence from the rule of God. When we fail to wait prayerfully for God’s guidance and strength, we are saying with our actions, if not with our words, that we do not need Him. How much of our service is actually a ‘going it alone’?”
