What Has God Done For Us?

Flowers outside our church's office

● He saved us from eternal damnation. We all know that none of us deserve to go to heaven because we are all sinners. God allowed His Son, Jesus, to go to the cross and shed His blood for our salvation. Because of Calvary we have the promise of eternal life with Him.



● He heals us from diseases. God has given scientists the skill to develop

vaccines- Polio, Measles, Mumps. Jonas Salk perfected the first vaccine to combat polio. He saved untold numbers of children from the devastation of living with a degree of paralysis, being confined to an iron lung or even from dying.



● He gives knowledge to doctors to treat different diseases. In the early 1960’s, President and Mrs. Kennedy had a son born who lived a very short time. By 1980, the condition that took their son was treatable.



● He gave us ways to contain germs. In the Old Testament, we read about the way to deal with mold.



● He protects us from harm. He guides us through scary times that come our way.



● Guides us through difficult issues. His Word tells us how to live and keep ourselves from being discouraged. The apostle Paul tells us we are conquerors.

Give thanks for even the small things.

SEEK FIRST

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you.”

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)



Jesus spoke to the people on the mountain top. He told them how to insure their relationship with God in order to be victorious over worry.

He also speaks to us about this ‘joy stealer’ of modern life. We have certain issues in these times that cause us to become anxious-stretching our income to allow us to get through until the next paycheck, maintaining peace with those who chose not to understand our way of living, and raising our children or grandchildren.

Jesus tells the crowd to search for God’s rule and a strong relationship with Him. We develop this tie with Him through receiving His salvation and learning to trust Him.

In today’s world, we hunt for a lifestyle that satisfies. But we have to realize that life isn’t always about us. Once we learn that, we can refrain from the angst of our time.

As we learn of Jesus, we discover we can trust Him for every aspect of our lives. He tells the crowd and us to turn to Him first when difficulties confront us.

When we seek Him first, we are telling Jesus that we know He has the answer, and we trust Him for the outcome. By seeking the Lord first don’t we give Him praise and thanks that we know He is there for us, no matter the challenge?

Telling About Myself

My blogging friend, Rhonda, over at The Natives are Getting Restless, awarded me the Tell Me About Yourself award. She requested I share some facts about myself. I usually find this difficult. But these are some of the things that make me who I am.



Seven things about myself:

1.) I am an only child. When people find that out, I say one of two things. Either I say something like “Yes, I am one of those spoiled onlys.” But, I really wasn’t spoiled, just well loved. (The other thing I might say.) Just for the record, my dad was technically an only child as well. (But, he was raised with some cousins.) So, that means, I am an only; was brought up by an only and reared an only.

2.) I have a collection of china mugs from the places we have traveled to. In the past few years, our son has added to it. I even have one from Austria that Hubby gave a friend money to bring it back to me when she accompanied her neighbor on a trip.



My collection on display for others to enjoy.


3.) I love mysteries, reading them and watching them on TV. Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock, Ben Matlock, and Jessica Fletcher are some of my favorites.

4.) The police shows get my attention. It fascinates me to see how they ‘follow the evidence’ and find the perpetrator and a lot of times it’s not who I thought.

5.) I enjoy spending time with close friends. Sometimes my spending time may be just a telephone conversation. I am currently working in Children’s Ministries at our yoked churches. My part in this project is to portray Mary’s neighbor in Nazareth in a skit. This neighbor doesn’t believe that Jesus is who He is.

6.) Because of a caffeine sensitivity, I have to forego coffee, real tea, any cola, Barques Root Beer, anything with caffeine. I do like Dad’s, A&W, and Mug root beers. I also like lemonade, hot spiced cider and herbal tea. My current choice of candy is Lindor white chocolate truffles. Hubby has forbidden them in our house until Christmas-they are too good and too much of a temptation.

7.) I like to watch old movies, especially those I have seen before. I watch them to see if I can learn something different about the story or how the writers and directors have created it. Last night, we watched a movie from 1942. It was interesting seeing Carol Lombard, Jack Benny and a young Robert Stack play their roles.



I pass this award on to these wonderful blog writers.

1.) Dawn @ Beneath The Surface Dawn writes spiritual truths in a way that brings God’s Word to enlighten me in new ways.

2.) Glenda @Journey to Publication: I admire Glenda for her transparency. I know she is sincere in her thoughts.

What Makes Us Want To Give Thanks?

God acts in our behalf. What He does takes a worry from us. He answers our prayers. We all know that God can respond to our petitions in one of three ways. He can say, ‘Yes’ and grant what we ask for. Or he replies, ‘No’ and deny our request. Sometimes, his answer is ‘Not now.’

When our son was in Kindergarten, all they toys he wanted for Christmas were things that he was too young to have. Now, as parents, Hubby and I chose more age appropriate items. Son didn’t say anything to us about why he didn’t get what he asked for. He did ask his grandmother about it. (She had him on a fairly regular basis.) She told him that he might have been too young for what he wanted. The next fall, Hubby surprised Son with one of the toys he had wanted and explained that, yes, he was too young for it the previous Christmas and we didn’t want to see him get hurt by it.

There are times when God doesn’t answer in the way or ways we ask; He chooses to let His will be done as He sees fit. All these actions merit our thanks because He protects us and acts in our best interest.



Let’s reflect on our requests that God said “Not now” about.



Did God eventually honor those requests?



Did we find ourselves growing closer to Him at any time while we waited?



Was it an experience we gave thanks for?

How Should We Give Thanks Part 2?

Trees at our local state park.

Be thankful to Him and bless His name. Psalm 100:4b (NKJV)

Wholeheartedly, we can tell whether or not a person means what they say. God also knows when we go through the motions and say words He and others expect to hear from us.

I once spent a quantity of time making a scroll of thanks for a gentleman in a former church I attended. I had enlisted help from my step-father to make stained wooden handles for the scroll. I asked a friend’s daughter to color the pictures I had cut out of coloring books of a particular well-known Muppet. I asked the church people to sign the paper just anywhere. My plan was to put a cut out image above each name. I let his wife know of this project. When I delivered it to their home and gave it to him. He didn’t really respond the way I had thought he would. His wife thanked me for all the work I did and also apologized for her husbands seeming lack of appreciation.

The next Sunday, the man told me he was touched by the scroll. He also told me that due to his medical condition, his doctor had advised him not to get overexcited. I understood what he told me.

Sometimes, we have to be subdued in giving thanks to God. The important thing is THAT we give thanks.

Pleasantly, When I was in college one of the girls in my sorority used a phrase I was unfamiliar with, “left-handed compliment.” I took it to mean a phrase that appeared to not be a compliment but actually was. I believe we sometime give reverse praise. We thank God because we know we have to but, deep down, we feel we didn’t get what we requested. This sounds like, “Thank You, God, but I wanted this to happen, not what came about. Why didn’t I get what I asked?”



Do we sometimes thank God and not really mean it?



Do we grumble as we give thanks to God?



Can we do better about our attitude about what He does for us?

How Should We Give Thanks?

Now, our God, we give you thanks,

and praise your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:13 (NIV)



Freely, when a friend tells me of God’s answers prayer, I respond with “Praise the Lord” or “Praise God.” If it is an answer that is a positive answer, say God finding a bone marrow match for a leukemia patient, I almost shout my response. If He relieves a person from suffering by taking him or her, I am a lot more subdued, almost quiet, in my response but I eventually give praise. Let’s not hang back.

Have you ever heard a Christian speak his mind on a subject dear to his or her heart, one where he or she felt they and their cohorts had received a raw deal? Then have you heard that same Christian speak of having the experience of encountering the person who has caused that somewhat harsh attitude. I recently heard a Christian man speak of running into a person who has caused a lot of cities to look at a phase of their lives differently. The man I heard was apologetic about his previous thoughts of the actions that he has had to live with and work under and his attitude.

Eagerly, let’s not wait to give our thanks to God. The praises should be the first thing that comes out of our mouths. Our praises should be for what God has done. Sometimes we look at the person for whom He has done a particular deed. We might harbor strong feelings against him or her. We might resent that person receiving that blessing from God because we might ‘know something’ about him or her. When we choose not to give praise to God, we have a problem.

I once worked with woman who was slightly younger than I. We had grown up in the same town. We’d get to cutting up about something. She’d say something I’d find humorous; I’d respond with a cute remark. She’d look at me and say, “Right on time.” Our thanks to God should be given in a timely manner.

God, Please Guide Us

“In Your unfailing love You will lead the people

you have redeemed. In Your strength you will guide

them to your Holy dwelling.” Exodus 15:13 (NIV)


Tomorrow, cities in our state go to the polls and choose who we want to lead us through the office of Mayor and the City Council. As I see it, the job of Mayor can be a highly stressful and intimidating one. While we should be thankful for living in a land where we have the privilege to have a say in this process, we need to remember that our leaders need God’s guidance while they serve us. 

In four states, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia, the voters will cast ballots for their choice of state legislators. In Ohio, they will vote on three state, six county and at least six Cincinnati City issues.


Prayer:
Please, Father, guide us as we go through our days. Tomorrow is Election Day, a day set aside for the citizens of our nation to chose who will represent us, make our laws, and keep us safe from crime.

We have heard from all those seeking office about their qualifications and why they will do a good job in the office they wish to hold. We also had to listen to several of them bring up their opponent’s past voting record and their pursuits while not in the public forum.

I ask you to guide us, your children, as we chose those who will lead us at each through these economically difficult times.

We love You, Lord. We want what You want for each of us and for our land.

In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.