Thanksgiving

I had such high hopes for the Thanksgiving holiday. I had planned to write a short note to the people that are dear to me and tell them how thankful I am for their role in my life and how I have been blessed since God placed them together in my life.

I had intended to have an attitude of gratitude throughout the day singing praises to God and worshipping him through the day. I had planned that this holiday would be one that was truly focused on God's provision for my every need and I would spend the day counting my blessings.

In reality, I found that getting up at 5:00 am and cooking through the day took most of my focus. I love to cook and it was a joy to whip up some tasty treats for the great banquet, but I have to say that rather than focusing on God, my mind was on the timer and organizing the next thing to go into the oven.

Thanksgiving was not the holiday I had made it to be in my plans, but it is not too late to begin those thank you notes. It is not too late to practice giving thanks not only to God but also to his representatives here. In giving thanks, I keep those roots of unforgiveness and bitterness at bay and I recognize my dependence on the mercies of others and the provision of God in my life.

Today, I will practice thanksgiving. By the way, if you are a reader of this blog; thank you for your interest in reading my thoughts and I pray that there will be something that is an encouragement for your soul. I thank God for this medium of communication. We can all be authors and encourage other Christians all around the world through the internet. If you are a Christian struggling today, keep up the good fight. These are light and momentary trials we are experiencing and they will be for God's glory in the end and we will see more clearly his hand at work some day in the future. We don't know what is next, but God is using each experience to grow us for the next thing.

If you are not a believer and you have come to this blog, I appreciate your patience with me as I share how God has grown me. I know he has a plan for your life and he may have just drawn you to this blog for the purpose of challenging your thinking about his role in your life. We are all sinners and we have all fallen short of God's holy standard of righteousness. We are all alike in our need of God to make a better plan than we can on our own. Guess what? He did! He sent Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins - death. Jesus invites you to become his. All you have to do is believe and place your faith in him. Just one step at a time.

If you have never prayed a prayer of faith it goes something like this: You can insert your own words....

Dear God,

I know that I am a sinner and I have disappointed you over and over. I am greatly grieved by my failures and I recognize that I am not able to save myself but I need your help. I acknowledge that Jesus is the only hope for my right standing with you and I accept him as my Savior having paid the penalty for my sins. Please come into my life and give me the Holy Spirit that is given to each of your children that I might live for you. I look forward to a life lived for you accept Jesus' provision for it. I pray in the name of Jesus, the only name worthy to come before your throne of grace. Amen.