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Oh Let Us Give Thanks Unto The Lord

Oh Let Us Give Thanks Unto The Lord

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 86:12
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 69:30
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord.[a] Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:21
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
1st Timothy 4:4-5
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Hebrews 13:15
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1st Thessalonians 5:18
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Colossians 3:16 NLT
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Psalm 92:1-2
 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 86:12
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 69:30
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:21
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
1st Timothy 4:4-5
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Hebrews 13:15
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Philippians 4:6
6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1st Thessalonians 5:18
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Colossians 3:16
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Psalm 92:1-2
 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

 

 

25 Things That I am Grateful For

1 Chronicles 29:13
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
Psalm 107:8-9
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
1 Chronicles 16:34
34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 69:30
30 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

November is one of my favorite months of the year.   Not only is it the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving, but it its also the month in which the Holiday Season starts.  I love the family gatherings, and of course, the food is wonderful too!  What I really enjoy is hearing what others are grateful for this time of year.  More so than ever, it seems that this is when most people hit pause, and really think about how blessed they are.

Oh, To Be Content

Have you ever gone through a season when life seemed absolutely unbearable?  Have you ever become impatient with God, because He was moving way too slow.  Could it be that you are just simply disenchanted with the way your life is going right now?  If your answer is yes to any of these questions, today I would like to visit with you briefly about what it means to be content.

 When you go to your dictionary and look up the word content, you may see the following as a definition;  in a state of peaceful happiness, satisfied with a certain level of achievement, and not wishing for more, a state of satisfaction.

In Philippians 4:11 Paul says I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances, a little bit later in 4:13 He says that; I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.  After thinking about this, I have personally come to the conclusion, that Paul’s contentment was based not only on his trust in God but in his trust in God’s character. He had experienced God’s faithfulness through numerous circumstances, and he had seen the heart of God throughout His journey.

Being content is not always easy.   But if we just think back, and reflect on all of the times that God has been faithful to us in the past through the hard times, it helps us to remain hopeful for our future.   Contentment, in my opinion, can be simple, trusting while you are waiting.  Trusting that when the time is right, God will change your set of circumstances, and if He chooses not to, you are still trusting that He will only do what is best for you. Either way, trusting God is the real source of contentment and inner peace.  As you spend more and more time with God, you will grow to trust Him more and more.

Today, I want to encourage you to seek His face daily.  Choose peace and contentment over stress and worry. Remember, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, and that means even going through the hard stuff.

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;  never will I forsake you.”[a]
1 Timothy 6:6-10
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 62:5-8
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;  my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;  he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God[a];  he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

 

Don’t Let It Ruin Your Day

Don’t Let It Ruin Your Day

Last Wednesday I had to go to a doctor’s appointment.  I woke up early in a great mood.  This was a great thing because honestly, I am not a morning person.  I got dressed and headed out the door for my appointment.  When I got to the medical facility everyone that I came in contact with, was so kind and extremely helpful.  I was having a great day!

I had to have a blood draw, and later meet with a nurse practitioner.  Afterward, I was instructed to go to another area of the medical facility.  As I went to my seat, I had a strange experience.  I had to walk in front of an older lady who was already seated.   As I approached her, we both made eye contact.  I automatically looked at her, and smiled, and said hello.  She had no response.  She just looked at me.  Initially, I thought that maybe she couldn’t hear me, or even see the smile that I gave her because it was all covered by my mask.  She continued to look at me, but there was still no response.  I thought maybe she didn’t hear me.  I did not want to appear rude, so I have spoken to her again, this time a little louder and she gave me the same look.  This time, however, it was more of a stare.  It was a look that said,  I see you, but I don’t care to speak to you.  Even after I had taken my seat she kept staring at me, as though she deliberately wanted me to know that she was watching me.

For a moment I wondered; what if she is deaf and she simply can’t hear me, or could she possibly have a mental issue.  Well, that was cleared up pretty quickly, when a nurse came over to assist her and she was extremely rude to the nurse.  She was so rude that another nurse had to step in and get involved.  After seeing this encounter,  it became very clear to me that not only could she speak, but that she could also hear.

There was a gentleman sitting across from me, who spoke as soon as I took my seat.  He seemed to have been a very friendly man.  He made a bit of small talk, before reaching into the pocket of his jacket, and pulling out his Gideon Bible to read.  When he left, a very nice lady took the seat that he had been sitting in.  She and I really connected, we talked and talked, until it was time for me to go.   We even shared our contact info.  All the while the older lady who refused to speak to me,  kept watching as I made friends and interacted with other patients that were there that day.

You see a long time ago, I learned that it’s not what happens to me, but how I respond to what happens to me that matters.   I could have easily fallen into Satan’s trap, and let her lack of response to the kindness that I had extended to her, ruin my day.   I simply would not allow this lady, to ruin a perfectly beautiful day, that God had blessed me with.

Later that day as I reflected on my morning, some things came to mind that I have listed below.  I hope that if you ever encounter a similar situation the following thoughts will be of help to you.

1.  No one knows how much pain the lady who would not respond to me, could have been in, or how uncomfortable she was.  I do remember her screaming out at one of the nurses that something about her garment was making her feel uncomfortable.  We have to remember that we never really know what a person is going through.  Don’t judge!
2.  When someone is rude or dismissive to you, don’t allow it to ruin your day.  I would have missed the joy of meeting and making friends with the other lady if I had become angry or got a bad attitude regarding the first lady.
3. Always be kind.  No matter what, let your little light shine. Always be the bigger person.
4.  Pray for people who act ugly towards you.
5.  When things like this happen, give it to God.  Choose to be grateful for the blessing of another day, that God has given you to enjoy.  Time is precious, don’t waste a minute of it, angry and upset over things that you cannot control.  Remember, the one thing that you definitely cannot control is another person’s actions.