Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 4 - Our Strength and Shield



"The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults,
And with my song I shall thank Him."
                  Psalm 28:7

 
When trials come and we feel weak, we can turn to the Lord and He shall be our strength. When there are days that we feel we just cannot go on, then we draw our strength from the Lord; rather than trying to fight the battles by our own might, we can lean on Him and He will see us through. He will be our shield, the One who protects us from things seen and unseen. It is important that we allow God to be our strength during good times also, if we become self-reliant we are destined for disappointment.

People put their trust in a variety of things: people, jobs, riches, homes etc., but all these things are passing and have the potential to let us down. However, if we put our trust in the Lord we will not be disappointed, He will help us.


I am so thankful that He is my strength when I am weak and it is in Him that my heart trusts. I can trust in Him because He has never failed me and He has promised to never leave me.


So, let's give thanks today because:

  • The Lord is our strength

  • The Lord is our shield

  • We can trust in Him

  • The Lord helps us

Thanks for joining me today! Keep giving thanks!
Linda









Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 3 -Saved By Grace



"For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

                  Ephesians 2:8-9

I am so thankful that I am saved by God's grace, that I do not need to try to work my way into heaven. If I had to do sufficient works to earn salvation, I would definitely fail.
Perhaps you are familiar with the acronym for Grace:
                            God's Riches At Christ's Expense
I like this because it kind of sums up what God gave us and how He gave it to us. He wants us to have the riches of eternal life, He wants to bless us and share eternity with us, and out of His immense love for us He sacrificed His Son, Jesus, that we might receive forgiveness of our sin. All we need to do is receive this gift of God, it is available to all who come to Him by faith with a repentant heart. We do not deserve God's gift of salvation, yet He has given it freely to us because He loves us.

It is my prayer that you have received God's gift and are giving thanks for your salvation, and that you have been saved by grace! 
If you have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior, then I pray you will seek Him with all your heart and receive the greatest gift given.

Blessings!
Linda





Monday, November 2, 2009

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 2 - God is Good!



"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting."
                     Psalm 136:1

It is difficult for me to only quote verse 1 of Psalm 136 in this Thirty Days of Thanksgiving, because there are so many reasons to give thanks given - 26 verses in fact. So let me encourage you to read Psalm 136 today and to dwell on the attributes of God for which you can give Him thanks.

For now, I am just going to focus on the two attributes given in verse 1.
  • God is good. We use the word good so casually and frequently in our daily lives, yet if we stop and really think about what 'good' means and how it applies to God, we may not use it so lightly. In Mark 10:18 we read, "And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone". Jesus redefines the word good by saying that there is only One deserving of that description. He represents goodness, righteousness, purity and truth like no other possibly could. So I give thanks that my God is GOOD!
  • His lovingkindness is everlasting. God loves us with a never-ending love which is beyond our comprehension. His love for us is demonstrated in so many ways and knows no bounds. In the coming days I will share some of the ways by which God has demonstrated His love for us. I am thankful for God's love.
I hope you will find reasons to give thanks today!

Linda

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Join Me for 30 Days of Thanksgiving



This is definitely a month to be thankful, so please join me on my other blog, In All Your Ways, for 'Thirty Days of Thanksgiving'. Each day this month I will be sharing a reason to be thankful.

Today is Day 1. I would love to have you give thanks with me .... hope to see you there!

Smart Mom

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Thirty Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1 - Bountiful Blessings



"But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me."
                          Psalm 13:5-6
 
As we embark on our Thirty Days of Thanksgiving together, it is my prayer that we will draw closer to God as we identify reasons to be thankful.
 
There are many Psalms of praise and thanksgiving as well as cries for help in times of distress. In Psalm 13, David is seeking the Lord's help in times of trouble, yet he finds reasons to rejoice and praise God. Likewise, we ought to look for opportunities to give thanks and rejoice even when we are faced with trials.
 

At this harvest time of year the word "bountifully" brings to mind the abundance of good foods that surround us, yet God gives so much more to us than food, and He gives more generously than we can measure, so let us remember to give thanks!
 
Here are some reasons to be thankful today:
  • God is loving and kind; we can trust in God's lovingkindness!
  • God has given us salvation; our hearts can rejoice in this!
  • God blesses us abundantly; sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with us!
Have a blessed day!
Linda