Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 11 - Salvation

"And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;

It shall exult in His salvation."

       Psalm 35:9

Of all the things for which I am thankful, at the very top of my list is the salvation that I have received from God through faith in Jesus Christ. Without this I would have no hope for the future, my life would lack meaning and purpose. I could fill my years with activities and stuff, but for what purpose?

I grew up in a family where I was taught to believe in God, we went to church and Sunday School somewhat regularly when I was a child. I thought I was a Christian and that being a pretty good person I would probably make it to heaven. At age 16, I was caught off guard when one of my older sisters came home and told me she had 'become a Christian'. I didn't understand because I thought we were already Christian, so what did she mean? We didn't really talk about God in my home so I didn't come right out and ask her, however over the next year I saw that her life had changed and she became very involved in an evangelical Christian church. She shared her new-found faith in Christ with me, gently and gradually, and I too realized that I needed Jesus as my Savior.

I knew the Bible story that Jesus had died on the cross and I always felt so sad that His life had ended that way, I never understood that He had risen and thus had gained victory over sin and death by His resurrection. Most importantly, His victory over sin meant forgiveness and salvation for me. Just last week I celebrated my 'Christian birthday' - it has been 23 years since I asked Jesus to come into my heart, to forgive and cleanse me, to redeem me and dwell with me. He has never let me down and I don't want to even imagine how empty my life would be without Him.

I hope you are able to give thanks today for salvation in Christ. If you have not received this gift, let me point you to a few scriptures to look at. God loves you and wants you to come to Him. Whether or not we admit it, we all need God, we all sin and there are consequences; but God loved us enough to sacrifice His Son, Jesus, that we might be saved. All we must do is come to Him sincerely with a repentant heart, acknowledge our sin, and ask His forgiveness. The price has been paid!

Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;"

There are so many more verses I would love to share with you, I encourage you to read the Bible and to seek God with your whole heart, there is no greater blessing in life than to know Christ.

Giving thanks,

Linda

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 10 - God Establishes Us

"I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,

And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;

Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD."

           Psalm 40:1-3

We have all come from different backgrounds and circumstances. Our childhood experiences shape who we are, and the choices we make determine the direction of our lives. Many make choices which drastically change their future and unknowingly takes them down a path of destruction.

One thing we all have in common is our freedom to come to Christ and to seek His forgiveness and salvation. No matter what we have done, God is willing to welcome us into His family and when we receive this, then God Himself establishes us. As the author of the Psalm says, God pulls us out of the pit of destruction in which we have placed ourselves; then He sets our feet on the rock, He gives us a firm footing and changes the course of our lives in a way only He can. When Christ becomes our Rock and Foundation for our lives we can stand firm and walk with confidence and in faith.  All of a sudden our lives take on a new direction and purpose, we have a new song to sing, a song of praise to God!

God does not leave us to flounder about on our own, He is with us and establishes us in Christ. I am so thankful to be established by God!

Linda

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 9 - Prayer

"Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God."

                                                         Philippians 4:6

I am so thankful that God has given us the freedom to come before Him and present our requests to Him. In fact, scripture instructs us to do so. There is no benefit in being anxious and worrying, it will not increase our days or remove our circumstances. The verse in Philippians tells us that we are not to be anxious about ANYTHING, rather we are to pray about EVERYTHING, and to do so with THANKSGIVING. We are told in Matthew 7:7 to be persistent in our prayers and God will answer. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

God wants to answer our requests, however I don't see prayer as an opportunity to just come and ask for the things we desire or need. For me, prayer is a special time when I can humbly lay my heart before God, acknowledging His marvelous ways and deeds, surrendering my heart and life to His will. It is a time of communication between me and my Lord; it is a time of refreshing and brings about spiritual growth. Colossians 4:2 reads "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;" Jesus Himself set for us the example of being devoted to prayer, and the power of prayer in our lives is phenomenal.

I hope you can give thanks today for the gift of prayer.

Linda

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 8 - Fellowship

"not forsaking our own assembling together,

as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;

and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

                     Hebrews 10:25

God has blessed us with the gift of friendship and fellowship with others who share our beliefs. It is a joy to gather together in the name of the Lord and worship in His presence. As believers join together in worship during church gatherings they proclaim their unity in Christ, receive teaching from God's word and experience fellowship with one another.

This fellowship we share as believers serves to encourage us in our faith; as we share our experiences, joys, fears, troubles and struggles with others who share our beliefs, we can be built up in our faith. When discouragement comes, we can turn to trusted friends who will love us with the love of Christ and speak the truth in love. We can pray with each other and share our burdens and joys together.

Fellowship happens outside of the church also, as we cultivate relationships with other believers in a variety of settings. Yesterday my family was blessed to share some time and a meal in our home with a good friend. I would encourage you to look for opportunities for friendship and fellowship. Invite someone for dinner or coffee, arrange a play date for your kids and the moms can visit at the same time. Get involved in a small group or Bible study; there are many opportunities for fellowship if we seek them.

I am so thankful God provides fellowship and friendship for us, be sure to let your friends know you appreciate them.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Linda

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 7 - Children

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth."

                      Psalm 127: 3-4

Following on from yesterday's topic of giving thanks for marriage, I am giving thanks today for children (particularly mine!). Until my husband and I had our children, I never could fully comprehend the blessing that children are, or the love that a mother (and father) has for her own children. If you have a child of your own, you probably will never forget looking in their eyes and holding them for the first time. It is an amazing feeling and humbling to know that God would give such a precious gift into your care.

Our kids are now 11 and 9 years old, people always told me to enjoy them because the years go by so quickly. I underestimated the truth of their words. Though I have cherished every phase my kids have gone through, some of those felt like they would never end. We made it through diapers, sleepless nights, weaning, potty training, learning to walk, read, write, ride bikes and so much more. The memories are overwhelming, I have never experienced anything like being a mom. Each day brings something new and unique; around the corner we have teenage years, learning to drive (yikes!), graduations and whatever their future holds. Someday my kids will leave home, although right now they refuse to admit that possibility!

I give thanks every day for the blessing that my children are to me, they are great kids - even if I say so myself! My love for them is so deep, and the love they return to me blesses me immensely. If you are a parent, I hope you are able to rejoice today in your children and give thanks for them.

For those who have no children or have suffered the loss of your child, you are in my prayers to receive God's comfort. I know the pain of losing a child, we lost our first child through miscarriage, I hope to be reunited in heaven. No words I can say will lessen your hurt and longing, only God can comfort your heart. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" 2 Corinthians 1:3.

Giving thanks today for my children!

Linda