"I'm Thankful For..."

This being the month of November, and considering that toward the end of this month we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day- we will take the 30 days of this month to express our gratitude. First and foremost, I want to say "Thank You" to the GOD, MY SOURCE. The dictionary defines "source" as the point of origin, the beginning place, from which something is obtained. Synonyms are supplier or originator. For me, that's God. James 1:17 (NIV) says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." I am grateful to God for all of the good and perfect gifts that He has bestowed upon our family. He proves His faithfulness day after day. Looking back, I wonder why we complain or worry when we have seen Him shower us with blessing over and over, time and time again. Thank You, Jesus, for all that you have done! One of my favorite songs says:

"Dear Jesus, I love you. You're a Friend of mine.

You supply my every need. My hungry soul you feed.

I'm aware You are My Source, from which all blessings flow.

And with this thought in mind, I know where to go."

Philippians 3:12-14

From among the many things we can do, what is the 'one thing' we should choose? Consider Paul's answer to this question in Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV) - "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Paul's choice of the 'one thing' involved the most important relationship in his life and his destiny. On his journey with God, he states that he had not yet arrived, but that all of his focus was placed on the prize or the finish line. I think that the lessons to be learned from this are that: 1) We cannot progress if we don't learn to let go of the past. It weighs us down, and slows us down. Let it go. Forget it. 2) We need to look forward to what is ahead. Keep your eye on the goal. Put your energy and effort on what lies ahead. And, 3) We must press on - there will always be obstacles, hindrances and distractions, but if we remain focused on the 'one thing' that matters, we will arrive to our destination.

Luke 10:41,42

Continuing on the subject of focusing on "One Thing" let's consider Luke 10:41,42 (NIV) - "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." There are 'good' things and there are 'better' things - often we settle for many good things at the expense of the better thing. Jesus was visiting in the home of Mary and Martha and the passage says that Martha was distracted by the 'many things' that needed to be done, (cleaning, preparation of meal, hospitality, etc.) while Mary was focused on 'one thing', sitting at Jesus' feet listening intently. These verses are in response to Martha's request for Mary to leave her 'one thing' and help her sister with the work of 'many things'. Jesus tells Martha that her preoccupation with the many things had her worried and upset. Isn't that what happens to us when we get caught up in the many good things and neglect the one thing that is better? May we with wisdom, ponder, evaluate, and choose the 'one thing' that is needed. Choose carefully. Don't forsake the important thing for the anxiety for the urgent things.

Psalm 27:4

Psalm 27:4 (NIV) - "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." One of the challenges of life these days is that we have too many choices. When I was a kid, there were only 3 channels of TV to choose from - NBC, ABC, or CBS. Now with digital cable and satellite we have hundreds of channels to choose from and we still can't find something to watch. It used to be you could have either chocolate or vanilla, - now there's 31# flavors and we can't decide which one we want. (I prefer frozen yogurt :) - 16 different flavors each day.) Our crayon boxes had only 3 colors - now the boxes have 64 colors (some with names we can't even pronounce). I think we need to learn to focus on ONE THING! David's one thing showed his priority and his DESIRE. His one thing was to cultivate a relationship with his God - seeking, dwelling, beholding, and inquiring. (Inquiring hearts want to know) What is our One Thing - our chief desire - our main pursuit? We have wish lists of many things we would like to have and even for prayer we make lists of requests to ask of the Lord. What if you had to narrow it down to One thing? The Message reads this way - "I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet."

Zephaniah 3:17

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) - "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." I just love this verse! It assures me of so many things that bring security, peace, and joy to me. Consider the following: 1) I am not alone - My God is with me. (Good to know) 2) My God is all-powerful, can do anything and everything, and He will save. 3) God thinks that I am terrific and delightful :) (you, too) 4) His steadfast love calms and soothes me - fills me with perfect peace. 5) He enjoys me so much that I make Him want to sing. Can't you just picture His smile, His laughter, His beautiful voice belting out a love song just for you? (I often wonder what songs He sings to us - but I'll share more on that later - you would probably be surprised) My response to this great love is expressed by one of my favorite songs these days says by Jared Anderson: "You dance over my, while I am unaware; You sing all around, but I never hear a sound. Lord, I'm amazed by you, Lord, I'm amazed by you, Lord I'm amazed by you, how You love me."

Psalm 23:6

Psalm 23:6 (NIV) - "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Have you ever been out walking and then you get the feeling that someone's following you? Is someone stalking you? Well, you can count on it! Nothing to fear, its all good. We can be certain that wherever we go, every day of our lives, if you turn around and look - goodness and love (mercy) are close behind! They follow you always! The second part of the verse assures us that our status in God's House is not temporary, but permanent! No fear of foreclosure nor eviction. Isn't that good to know? We surely, definitely are being followed. Take comfort in His goodness, delight in His love. Same verse in the Message: "Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life."

Matthew 12:20,21

Matthew 12:20,21 (NIV) - "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope." These words refer to Our Messiah and Savior. Jesus is gentle, tender, loving, kind and considerate. He is not harsh, brutal, nor heavy-handed as some would have you to believe. He comes to help, heal, and restore. He sees our weaknesses and is drawn to our brokenness. He understands our hurt, our pain, our situation. I am amazed at his never-ending compassion, mercy, and grace. I love this passage. This is what Jesus is really like. Don't be afraid - invite Him to draw near - trust Him - He touch will bring hope and peace. The same verses from the Message read: "He won't walk over anyone's feelings, won't push you into a corner. Before you know it, his justice will triumph; the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers."