Category Archives: Thanks & Praise

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May 22, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Money & Wealth, Obedience, Thanks & Praise

BILLS, BILLS, BILLS

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! [Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 (NLT)]

Bills, bills, bills! We all complain when we get them. We recently got our property tax bill which meant for a few groans. Instead of complaint, however, today I will choose to give thanks.

3-30-15 billsDSC07878redwebThank you, Lord, for my tax bill. It means that I have a home, when many are homeless, and our community has schools, police and fire protection, a library and community center, garbage pick-up, good roads and beautiful parks. While I’m at it Lord, thank you for my electric and gas bills, for those mean I have lights and warmth. Thank you for my water bill because that means I have clean safe water to drink. Thank you for my insurance bills, for those tell me that I have possessions enough to insure. Thank you for my Blue Cross and doctor’s bills, as well; those mean I have medical care when many have none. Thank you for our cable bill because it means I have news, music and entertainment readily available. Thank you for my phone, wireless and internet bills. Those services mean I have all sorts of information at my fingertips and allow me to communicate with loved ones anytime and from any place. I look at my credit card bill and I am again thankful. Seeing the charges from the grocery, I give thanks that I’ve never gone hungry when many do. I look at the rest of our charges and see how we’ve purchased clothing, books and gifts, gone to movies and out to dinner, or taken trips while there are far too many who can barely make ends meet. Thank you, God, for all my bills; they are a way of reminding me of how truly blessed I am.

As I thank God for our financial blessings and the privilege of paying my bills, I remember another privilege he has given me: the privilege of supporting my church and various worthwhile charities. As much as I appreciate having shelter, food, clothing, communication and entertainment, they would mean nothing without God. So, today, as I write yet another check, I thank God for the privilege of financially supporting His work here on earth.

We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs. [Gloria Steinem]

“Your money, or your life.” We know what to do when a burglar makes this demand of us, but not when God does. [From “The Second Neurotic’s Notebook’” by Mignon McLaughlin]

Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. [1 Corinthians 9:13-14 (NLT)]

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. [Proverbs 21:13 (NLT)]

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May 18, 2015

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Joy, Knowing Him, Nature, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count

“AHA!” MOMENTS

aha2webPraise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and young women, old men and children. Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! [Psalm 148:7-13 (NLT)]

We had a plane to catch but, before spending hours sitting on an airplane, I wanted to take a quick walk. Knowing my tendency to lose track of time whenever I have camera in hand, I deliberately left it at home. A blue jay was perched on a low branch and never moved as I walked past. Also apparently oblivious to my presence, a great blue heron stood quietly while river otters played at the edge of the pond. Unmindful of me, a red-bellied woodpecker started hammering on a nearby tree, a baby bunny stopped in the grass beside me, and then an enormous bright green Cuban knight anole slowly crossed my path. Peeved at missing these great photo ops, I complained: “God, how can you torment me this way? I’ve been trying to get shots like these for ages; now you give them to me when I have no camera!” At first, it seemed like God had a wicked sense of humor and was messing with me. That, however, wasn’t the case. He was telling me something important and it wasn’t, “Always take your camera!” I was being told that appreciating God’s splendid handiwork is far more important than taking pictures of it. A good photograph is not the purpose of God’s “Aha!” moments; those occurrences are to remind us of the magnificence of his creation and His overwhelming presence in our lives. Although I took no pictures that morning, my breath was taken away in awe, wonder, praise and thanks; I felt God’s powerful presence and returned home filled with joy.

Later that day, while reading 1 Romans, I came across the following verse: “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” [Romans 1:20 (NLT)] Those words helped me recognize the truth of what I thought God was telling me through that morning’s circumstances. Since that day, I’ve managed to get most of the shots I missed that day. The anole, however, while spotted by neighbors several times in front of our house, has eluded me. I hope God doesn’t have another lesson planned when it decides to reappear, unless, of course, it’s has to do with patience: “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.” [Psalm 40:1 (NLT)]

Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary. O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! [Psalm 96:6-8a (NLT)]

P.S. The day I finished writing this devotion, I felt the urge to walk outside and check out the tree in front of our house. The anole was there and I even had my camera ready. Not satisfied with the shot, however, I stepped closer and he quickly scampered up the tree and out of sight. Perhaps God was telling me that there are some “Aha!” moments that are simply meant to be kept in our memories and not in pixels on the computer! You can’t tell me He doesn’t have a sense of humor!

 

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May 14, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Joy, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count

GONE FOREVER

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. [Psalm 90:12 (NIV)]

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. [Mother Teresa]

5-14-15giant swallowtail - Wis0992-cropwebWhen my mother-in-law sold her Florida condo, my husband and I spent two weeks cleaning, sorting, packing, shipping, tossing and donating the possessions that remained after she moved north. Since we both had surgeries scheduled this month, we worked hard and fast to get everything done while we were still able to lift and tote. Once done, we congratulated ourselves that twelve boxes had been shipped and everything cleaned, disposed of or donated in record time. Then, we got a call from my mother-in-law! In spite of already having several sets of dominoes, she wanted the ones she’d left in Florida. They’d been made by a friend and had numbers instead of dots. Alas, we’d saved the nice new deluxe box of dominoes but not those. My husband returned to St. Matthew’s House, the recipient of said dominoes and searched for them at their three stores to no avail. They were gone for good; there was no buying them back.

The dominoes we can’t reclaim reminded me of something far more important that can’t ever be gotten back: time. Rich and poor alike, we all have a certain amount of time allotted to us and, like that hand-made set of dominoes, it is irreplaceable. Time, once spent, is gone and gone for good; no amount of money can buy or create more of it.

Today, a friend noted that it seems like a day doesn’t pass without a friend or relative receiving a serious diagnosis. Thinking of my prayer list, I had to agree. That list seems to get longer every day; names are added at a far faster pace than they’re crossed off it. While I love deleting a name when it means recovery, far too many times those names are taken off because of death rather than healing.

My husband had his surgery today so this day has been one of prayer and introspection; hospitals have a way of doing that to you. Praise God, it looks like his name will be one of the ones I can happily cross off my list because of healing. We are incredibly thankful and feel blessed by the time God has given us. Nevertheless, we both know there are far fewer years ahead of us than behind us and time seems to pass at warp speed. We don’t want to thoughtlessly dispose of any of those precious days the way we did a bag of dominoes. They can never be regained.

She just looked up at me and said, “Oh Earth, you’re too beautiful for anyone to realize.” I think we can all stand to learn that. To know that in our bones. And when she told me, “Honey, … Always take time with people in their 80s because for more than a decade, they’ve been looking right across the street at death and they know what’s really important in life.” I don’t know about you, but I can stand to hear that message. [Scott Simon, when speaking about his mother on NPR]

Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. [Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV)]

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March 14, 2015

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Bible Stories, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Thanks & Praise, Trusting God

YOU PROMISED!

Yes. I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you. [Genesis 28:15 (MSG)]

Moses said to God, “Look, you tell me, ‘Lead this people,’ but you don’t let me know whom you’re going to send with me.” … God said, “My presence will go with you. I’ll see the journey to the end.” [Exodus 33:12a,14 (MSG)]

In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. [Joshua 1:5 (MSG)]

“I promise I’ll be there.”… “I promise nothing bad will happen.”… “I promise I’ll pay you.”… “I promise I won’t be angry.”… “I promise I’ll get it done in time.” We all make promises; usually, we truly mean to keep them. Sometimes, however, we break our promises. Perhaps we didn’t even try; maybe, we tried but just not hard enough. We may have tried our very best but simply didn’t have the ability or means to fulfill our promise. Sometimes, circumstances totally beyond our control defeat us. Whatever the reasons, our promises are often broken.

God, however, has no limitations when He guarantees something. Unlike you and me, God is absolutely true to His word; He will never break a promise. Moreover, unlike you and me, He is entirely able to fulfill every one of his promises! There are no things beyond his ability and no circumstances he cannot control.

God made promises to Jacob, Moses, and Joshua: He would not leave them. That same promise was repeated by Jesus and made to us. He is with us in the valleys and on the mountain tops, in times of plenty and famine, in times of joy and sorrow. As our captain, He’ll never abandon ship; as our shepherd, He’ll never leave his sheep; and as our Heavenly Father, He’ll never forsake his children.

Thank you, God, for never leaving us alone; no matter what the circumstances, you are always with us. Help us to truly trust your promises and your mighty power to keep them so that we truly rest in the peace of your presence.

God never made a promise that was too good to be true. [Dwight L. Moody]

I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age. [Matthew 28:20 (MSG)]

When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God. [Hebrews 6:17-18 (MSG)]

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February 14, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holidays & Holy Days, Love & Works, Thanks & Praise

FOR THOSE WE LOVE – Valentine’s Day 2015

“Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” [Matthew 19:4-6 (NLT)]

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Father, thank you for my spouse; please don’t let me take my life’s partner for granted. Prevent us both from allowing the obligations and frustrations of each day hinder us from making time for one another. Give us forgiving hearts when the other’s words or actions cause anger or grief. May we never allow people or things to keep us from walking the same path, hand in hand, for the rest of our lives.

Father, for those who are not blessed with a partner at this time, give them plenty of friends and family to fill their hearts and lives with love and joy.

In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. [Robert Anderson]

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. [1 Peter 4:8 (NLT)]

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. [Ephesians 4:2-3 (NLT)]

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January 24, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

GUIDING LIGHT


DSC05658aawebSNo longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. [Isaiah 60:19 (NLT)]

Lord, thank you for your light that guides me through the dark times of life. Help me remember that it is light you offer and not a crystal ball that will tell me what the future holds. I’m going to have to trust you for tomorrow. Help me stay in the here and now, following your light, trusting that, when tomorrow comes, your guiding light will continue to be there!

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. [Corrie Ten Boom]

Lead, kindly light, amidst th’encircling gloom, lead Thou on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me.
[“Lead Kindly Light”  by John Henry Newman, 1833]

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [John 1:4 (NLT)]