Casey's Soap Box

Thankful, Day Twenty-Two

2011-09-21T09:48:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

And God said, "Let there be light." Then He separated light from darkness. Then He separated heaven from earth. Then He separated earth from sea, and caused the earth to produce grass and trees, fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Then He created the sun, moon, and stars to shine upon the earth. Then He created fish to fill the seas and birds to fill the sky. Then He created animals of every kind to fill the earth. And finally, He created man in His own image and after His likeness, and in that man woman and all of humanity, and He gave them rule over the earth, its resources and its creatures. Everything that exists was thought of first in the mind of God, then created by the will, word and hand of God. And everything that exists does so for the praise and pleasure of God.

So when the Psalmist writes, "Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands," He is not merely talking about himself and the human inhabitants of planet earth. He is literally talking about the entire creation of God.

Let the whole earth praise the Lord!

Let the ground and everything that grows in it praise the Lord!

Let the inhabitants of the earth praise the Lord!

Let everything in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth praise the Lord!

Let every kindred, tribe and tongue praise the Lord!

Let every city, state, nation and kingdom praise the Lord!

From the ends of heaven and earth, let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Let us fill our God-made lungs with God-made air, plant our God-made feet on God-made ground, lift our God-made eyes toward the God-made heavens, and send a man-made shout Godward. And let all creation shout with us in praise to the One who made us all!

Today, I'm thankful for simple solutions to big problems.

I'm thankful for God's grace in every situation.

I'm thankful for rain.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Twenty-One

2011-09-16T00:50:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

That shout that I talked about the other day, it's not an arbitrary shout. It's not random, unreasonable, or indistinct noise that serves no purpose. It's not making noise for noise sake, or being loud for loudness sake. It is a directed shout, a purposeful shout, a cry of triumph heavenward to the One who has given us all things. Our God is the object of our praise because He is the source of our victory, the reason for our joy, the purpose and direction in our lives. The Bible says He is worthy of our praise because He is the creator of all that is, and we exist for His good pleasure.

The name that is used here for God is translated LORD in the English versions of the Bible, but it is really the ancient covenant name God used when communicating with His people. It is the name Yahweh, or more correctly YHWH, which means "the one who exists", or perhaps more familiar to us, "I AM THAT I AM". One of my preacher friends likes to put it this way: He is whatever you need Him to be whenever you need Him to be that.

YHWH is such a sacred name that it is never written or spoken out loud by a proper Jew. Many Jews or Christians with a Jewish flavor, substitute writing G-d for God and saying HaShem, which means "the name" instead of saying God. In the old translations, the name YHWH was given the vowel points from the word Adonai, which means lord, and that combined name is often rendered Jehovah, which is another familiar name to us.

He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. Jehovah Nissi, our banner of victory. Jehovah Tsidkenu, our righteousness. Jehovah Rapha, our healer. Jehovah Raha, our shepherd. Jehovah Shalom, our peace. Jehovah Shammah, our omnipresent God. Jehovah Sabaoth, our protector.

He is the object of our praise, the one to whom we direct that triumphant shout, and since He is never far from us and always available when we call, He should never be far from our thoughts or our heart when it comes time to give thanks.

Today, I'm thankful for the wealth that I have in my friends, who have made this week such a blessing to me.

I'm thankful for the many wonderful greetings and gifts I received from my friends and family, which made this a very special birthday.

I'm thankful for all the prayers and wishes for the blessings of God in my life for the coming year. I receive!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Twenty

2011-09-13T07:32:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout, it says. Some versions say noise. I looked it up in the Hebrew and found the word to be (transliterated) ruwa, which in the original language is said with a hard ch sound at the end, but I'm from Texas. I couldn't help looking at the word and thinking it might come out a little bit like the old HOOAH, which is an army battle cry. Lest you think I'm taking these thoughts far afield, check out the Hebrew meaning behind the word. That joyful shout was a war cry, a noise of alarm and triumph in the ranks. In battle, in distress, in victory, it was the loud noise lifted up by warriors to put the enemy on notice and to encourage the allies.

Of course, as in all things Hebraic, there are multiple layers of meaning. Ruwa was also an ovation, an exclamation of religious impulse, a joyful adulation. But mostly it is used in the Bible as a shout of triumphant victory.

Jesus said, "In this world, you have tribulation. Be of good cheer! I have overcome the world."

Paul wrote, "In all things we have been made more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loved us!"

John testified, "This is the victory that overcomes the world: your faith."

And in the Revelation it is said, "They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony."

We are certainly in a battle for our eternal destiny, but too many Christians are fighting that battle as if they are on the losing side. With helmets dented, shields cracked, swords bent and dragging in the dirt, too many Christians are ready to wave the white flag of surrender just to get some relief. They fail to realize that Christ is on our side. He who fought all our battles on the cross defeated death, hell and the grave, sin, sickness and satan, and all his enemies have been placed under his feet by the omnipotent Father. And the Bible says, "If God be for us, who can be against us!"

So lift up your head today; you're on the winning side!

Gird your loins and do battle in prayer today; you're on the winning side!

Strengthen yourself in the Lord and fight on today; you're on the winning side!

No enemy can defeat you. No power can conquer you. No devil can possess you. No weapon can prosper against you. And nothing shall separate you from the love of God! You're on the winning side!

When your enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against it.

When your enemy comes on strong in one direction, he will flee from you in seven.

So lift up a shout today; you're on the winning side!

Let the devil hear your cry and tremble, for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. Let the gates of hell shake and quake before you. Get ready to charge hell with a water pistol and go devil hunting with a switch. I've read the end of the Book, and I know everything is gonna be alright!

Today, I'm thankful for my new home where I have found peace and comfort and rest.

I'm thankful for the outpouring of love from friends and family that started a couple of days ago in honor of the day of my birth.

I'm thankful for the sweet fellowship I shared last night with my favorite person in the whole world.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Nineteen

2011-09-09T01:07:00.003-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

We are living in a time and culture where truth is often treated as relative--relative to time and culture and individual and circumstance. Many people believe that the only absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth. Every person can be a god or goddess unto themselves, making up their own truth as they go along, and changing their truth to fit current trends. And they don't want anyone else imposing any kind of truth on them, because what's true for you may not be true for me.

However, I always have to laugh at those who say truth is relative. Because there are certain things they still consider to be universally true. For instance, they may say that there is no absolute truth, but take a gun and shoot somebody with it, and they will be among almost all humans saying that murder is always absolutely wrong. Unless circumstances dictate that it is acceptable. Such as abortion or euthanasia. Then murder is okay. But capital punishment is definitely wrong. Self defense is questionable. Killing cows and chickens for food is horrific. War is bad.

No one is going to stand up for the murderer and say it was okay, even if that murderer insists that in his version of truth, killing people is okay. Even among those who say truth is relative, they want to pick and choose which truths are relative when.

It's situational ethics. What's wrong right now might not be wrong in the right circumstances. Lying for instance. Lying to spare someone's feelings is okay, some say. Even casual deception is acceptable. Unless you're the one being lied to. Then you declare that you shouldn't have been lied to; that you want the truth, even if you can't handle the truth!

I have to tell you, I'm a smart man, but I am no where near smart enough to determine my own truth. I much prefer submitting to an infinite God who has written me a very long note called The Bible, which is the only absolute truth I need. I get it in it and I find out everything I need to know about being in relationship with God and living my life the way He intended for me to live it. And there is not one rule or commandment or absolute truth that does me any damage. This is one truth that has been written down completely for my good.

Today I'm thankful for some little things.

I'm thankful that Luther is making a place to keep my tools; and also that he can teach me how to use them.

I'm thankful that tomorrow is signing day...that the house which has been my home for the last 5 years is finally no longer mine.

And I'm thankful for the small prayers that still get answered. I needed to find two sets of keys...in an apartment that is stacked and packed with boxes and other moving debris. When I prayed, I had a picture in my head about where one set was; if I had gone right to it to begin with I could have saved myself a couple hours of looking through boxes. On the other hand, I got some boxes unpacked and my office rearranged so that I can at least get in it and continue the unpacking. The other key I was sure I had lost, but was prepared to spend the whole night looking for it. Then an idea hit me, and I went right to the exact place where I found my impossible to find key. Thank you Jesus that you care, even about the little things. That's why I'm trusting you with the big things too.

Thankful, Day Eighteen

2011-09-07T23:52:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
and His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

How ease it is to let time get away, to let the minutes turn into hours and hours turn into days, sometimes without our even acknowledging God, much less giving thanks for who He is and what He has done for us. I know these last seven days have been extremely busy for me. Even though I haven't blogged it, I've still tried to be thankful. But I have to admit, sometimes I let the time get away without a thought to thanksgiving.

And yet there is so much to be thankful for. I'm glad that the LORD is a merciful God, a loving, forgiving, long-suffering God who has done everything for us out of the love and care and compassion that He has for us. His mercies are new every morning, thank Him, and I usually need them every morning too. I'm glad that even though sometimes we may lose sight of Him, He never loses sight of us. Even though we may sometimes forget about Him (even if only momentarily), He never forgets about us. And even when we walk (or run) away from Him, He never walks (or runs) away from us. Rather, He pursues us, calling to us constantly to return to His wonderful love and care.

Today I'm thankful for the strength He gives for work.

I'm thankful for the rest He gives from work.

I'm thankful for the help He gives through Himself and through other people when we need assistance with our work.

Thankful, Day Seventeen

2011-09-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

There are lots of things that are good about God, but I have to admit that His mercy is one of things I am most thankful for. It springs from His boundless love and amazing grace, and is wonderfully new every morning. It is available to the tempted and the tried, and also to the fallen and the flawed. His mercy is what keeps us alive when we deserve wrath. His mercy is what sees us through until we have reached that place where He is waiting for us. His mercy is forever and always, everlasting and eternal, wonderful, bountiful, more than enough to deal with a multitude of sins. I'm glad they can deal with mine.

Tonight, I'm thankful for sweet fellowship with the Lord in prayer throughout this day. It's been a great day and full of His presence.

I'm thankful for sweet fellowship with my mother, who has worked hard with me and for me today. I really appreciate her help.

I'm thankful for the sweet fellowship I'm going to have tomorrow with my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ. They have been so encouraging this week, and we've seen God do some amazing things!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Sixteen

2011-09-02T23:36:00.003-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

Indeed, the LORD is good. He's the goodest of good. He's better than anything that has ever been, better than anything that will ever be. He's the ultimate definitive of everything that is right and holy and perfect and good. He's good for me, He's good to me, He's better to me than I've been to myself. He is the giver of good and perfect gifts. In me there is nothing good that dwells; my righteousness is as garbage compared to His. But the Spirit of Christ in me has made me the righteousness of God. I will never, in and of myself, be as good as God. But when I stand in Him forgiven, I stand in Him complete!

Today, I'm thankful for the goodness of God in providing for my needs, the ones I know about, and the ones I didn't know I had.

I'm thankful for the goodness of God in giving me people who love me, and for giving me people to love.

I'm thankful for answered prayer--one very specific request that was answered immediately tonight for someone else! God still answers prayer!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Fifteen

2011-09-02T00:54:00.005-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

It's very late, and I'm very tired, but I did not want to close my eyes on this day without giving God thanks for some big things today.

First of all, I'm thankful for all of my friends, but today especially for those who came out to help me move today. Thank you Reza, William, Chris, Matt, Jesse, & Tracy. I could not have done this thing without you!

I'm thankful for my mother, who flew in from Colorado Springs to help me during this move. Your presence is already invaluable, and I'm so thankful that your my Momma, and that I'm your son.

I'm thankful for what is continually looking like the perfect home for me, and I cannot wait to get this new chapter in my life started.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Fourteen

2011-09-01T02:54:00.002-05:00

Even though the words seem plain enough, I just looked up thankful and bless to see their meaning in the original Hebrew. It's interesting that the first can mean cast down and the second can mean kneel down. Immediately, I was reminded of the heavenly imagery from Revelation 4 & 5 where, as the angels sing Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty, the elders fall on their faces and throw down their crowns before the presence of God.

As always, the kind of worship encouraged and demonstrated in this Psalm is the active kind. Praise and giving thanks mean more than giving God lip service; it's about action. It's about actually doing something in honor of God.

When was the last time you fell down in worship to the Lord? I'm not talking about any mystical experience like being "slain in the Spirit". I mean, when was the last time you voluntarily prostrated yourself in the presence of God and just worshiped Him for all that He is and all that He has done?

And when was the last time you really threw your praise down to God? Another meaning of being thankful is to shoot upward. So when was the last time we shot our praise like an arrow in the direction of God?

To bless His name is to give Him praise, to honor Him, to bring glory to Him, to make His name excellent with our words and works. This is how the Bible instructs us to give thanks!

Today, I'm thankful for the bounty with which God has blessed me. I've got more stuff than any one person needs, which is also why I've been getting rid of alot of stuff...either selling it to put the funds to good use, or giving it away as a blessing to someone else. At a time when so many are in desperate need, I'm thankful for the God who has supplied all of mine.

I'm thankful for the strength God has given me in my body, the ability to do the things which need to be done. There are lots of people who can't get around very well, who can't walk, who can't lift and carry heavy loads; I can, and to date I've never been seriously injured doing anything that needed to be done. Even when I am weak, He is strong.

I'm thankful for the help that God provides in the form of people, such as the ones who are going to help me tomorrow in my move. Even my mother is coming in to help me do this thing. I could do it by myself, but I'm thankful that I don't have to.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Thirteen

2011-08-31T02:29:00.003-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

Thanksgiving. That's what this 100 day exercise is all about. In doing it, I have realized that giving thanks is something I don't do enough of. I won't speak for you, but as for me, I am not as regularly and consistently grateful to God as I should be. At least, I don't express my gratitude as much as I ought to. God has done so much, and continues to do so much still, working on my behalf, working in me and around me and through me and for me. But I have to admit that I'm not always as intentionally thankful as He deserves and desires.

Thanksgiving is more than just offering God a toss-up, "Thanks God" over our meals, or when something good happens. Thanksgiving needs to be heartfelt action that springs from heart-based attitude. It should be the overflow of love in our hearts for God because of all the wonderful things He has done and continues to do. It should be the identifying marker of any true believer--the giving of thanks in any and all situations and circumstances. Thanksgiving needs to be done every day in multiple ways, because God is good every day in multiple ways.

Today, I'm thankful for the goodness of God to me, for He has blessed me not only with physical blessings, but He has also give me every Spiritual blessing. He has made heavens riches available to me through Jesus Christ, and all things are mine in Christ Jesus.

I'm thankful for the grace of God to me, for He has forgiven my sins, overlooked my transgressions and covered them over, to be remembered no more.

I'm thankful for the gentleness of God to me, for in all of His dealings with me, He deals with me as a son and not a slave, gently urging and encouraging me to do His will, gently correcting me when I stray, and gently welcoming me back when I've realized the error of my ways.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Twelve

2011-08-30T11:45:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

This is a Psalm with two stanzas of six lines each. The first three lines of each stanza tell us what to do; the last three lines of each stanza tell us why. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David communicated God's desire to be in relationship with us, and to be in close proximity to us. God wants us to draw near to Him in praise and worship, He wants us to draw near in spirit and in truth.

I'm reminded of the story of the old married couple riding down the road in the truck, the old man at the wheel, and the old woman against the passenger door. She looks over at him and says, "Pa, we don't sit as close as we used to." He looks back and says, "I ain't the one that moved." There are times when I don't feel as close to God as at others, but in those times it is not God who has pulled away from me. Rather, I have pulled away from God. For whatever reason--I get busy doing stuff; I let things distract me; I allow myself to be drawn away in various pursuits. Sometimes I'm even guilty of avoiding God because of something I've done wrong, and I don't want to stand before a disappointed God.

When I finally do come to Him, I find Him right where I left Him, waiting on my return. He hasn't abandoned or forsaken or forgotten Me, and He welcomes me with openness and acceptance and forgiveness. He wants me with Him, and truth be told, I want to be with Him. With the Lord is the best place to be, and His presence has no equal. So we should follow the counsel of the Psalmist: Enter into His gates...And into His courts!

And when we come, let us do so with thanksgiving and praise!

Today, I'm thankful for God's provision in multiple ways as I'm getting ready to make some really big changes in my life.

I'm thankful for God's peace, especially as these really big changes take place.

I'm thankful for God's assurance as I trust and follow Him through these changes. Everything is going to be alright!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Eleven

2011-08-29T01:56:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

There is lots of shepherd imagery in the Bible concerning the Lord and our relationship to Him. He is my shepherd, the Psalmist tells us, leading us and guiding us, guarding and protecting us, providing for us, healing us, comforting us. He calls Himself the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, who knows those who are His, and is known by them. And like sheep sometimes do, we have all gone astray, but God laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

One of the things that seems so important to me tonight is His provision as my shepherd, for He has fed me today. He has given strength to my body through His Spirit so that I can do the things I needed to do, and fed me twice by the hands of others. He has nourished my spirit through His Word, giving me encouragement that I needed through the mouth of a faithful servant. He has provided intellectual fodder through discussion of the things of God with others. He has provided emotional sustenance through the sweet fellowship I have shared with those who love me, and whom my soul also loves.

My shepherd knows how to take care of me, and does so with with the deepest of loves. That's what a shepherd does, and I'm glad I'm resting in His pasture today!

Today I'm thankful for those things I mentioned above, the feeding of my body, mind and soul by my gentle shepherd.

I'm thankful for the Word of the Lord that comes through the Bible, through faithful servants of the LORD, and through His voice in my heart, the Word that directs me in what I need to do.

I'm thankful for love.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful, Day Ten

2011-08-28T00:54:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

I'm so glad I belong to God. I know some people cringe at the thought of "belonging" to someone, as if it is like being a slave or a pet, but it's not like that for me at all. It's really like belonging to my Dad and Mom; they gave me life, I am their son. I belong to them. I am their "people", and they are mine. It's the same with God. He is the Almighty Creator, but He has become my Father by way of adoption, having purchased my place in His family through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

And because I am now His "people", and He is mine, I know that God will also take care of me, just as my Dad would. I cannot count the number of times by Dad went to bat for me. I cannot enumerate all the gifts he gave me, nor all the sacrifices he made for my benefit. My Dad was a provider, a protector, a discipler, a teacher, a friend. He did everything he could for me, to get me started right in life and keep me on the right path. And he did all that because I am his, I belong to him, I am His "people".

All those who come to God through Jesus Christ belong to Him, and have become His people. I know it's not Politically Correct to say this, but it is a fallacious error to say that "we are all God's children." Jesus said to certain hypocrites of his acquaintance, "You are not children of Abraham; you are like your father the devil." We are not born God's children, we have to be born again into His holy family. Those that don't know Him cannot claim Him as Father, nor Jesus as brother. And they can't have one without the other. But when we come to the Father through the grace of the Son, what a wonderful family we belong to then.

I tell you, it is an awesome thing to belong to God, and to be one of His people!

Today I'm thankful for all the people who came my way today to take my stuff off my hands at decent prices. Some of them got a better deal with me than they would have anywhere else, and I'm glad I could do it.

I'm thankful for the beautiful weather this morning, the breeze that kept things cool until my garage sale ended and I was able to retreat inside.

I'm thankful for the strength God gave me to get through this day, and the strength I know He will provide for tomorrow!

What are you thankful for?

Thankful, Day Nine

2011-08-25T15:25:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

God is my maker. True, He didn't scoop up a handful of dirt and fashion my body, nor did He breathe on it to give me life. I was formed when the seed of my father united with the egg of my mother, the two becoming a single-cell lifeform in a spark of energy that quickly caused them to divide and thereby multiply. That's the scientific explanation, anyway. The chromosomes of my parents determining my genetic makeup to produce the fine figure of a man that I am today. But the inspired writers of Scripture said that it is actually God who fashions and forms us in the womb, that is God who is ultimately responsible for our design, and also our destiny.

And like that first man, Adam, whom God made from the dust and breathed upon, we are made to reflect God's image and live in His likeness. In other words, we are made to look like God and to be like God. We are made to represent Him, to showcase His heart and character, to live out His will. We were made to bring glory and honor and praise to the Lord. The question we must ask ourselves is--are we doing that? Are we being the right kind of ambassador for God?

Alot of people who want to live in their sinful ways would like to point out that God made them that way, therefore they must be that way. However, they forget that God made them for a specific purpose, not for sin but for salvation. Not for depredation, but for righteousness. I was not made to be a liar or a murderer or an immoral man. I was made to please and to praise God. I was made so that my life would be a testament to His matchless grace and limitless love. When I choose a different path, I am displeasing the one who made me, defiling the body He gave me, and wasting away the life He wanted me to live.

And then there are those who look at themselves and their lives and boast, "I am a self-made man." When I look at the same life, I think, "I sure am glad you didn't blame God for it; you're a mess!" It's much better when we acknowledge God's hand in creating u, and God's will in launching us into life, and then choose to live up to His expectations.

Today, I'm thankful for rain. Glorious rain. Refreshing rain. Wet wonderful rain! We need it so much, and no more still. But thank you God for last night and today. I appreciate it.

I'm thankful for friends who want to spend time with me and feed me. I appreciate the fellowship and the love that you show me.

I'm thankful for peace that passes all understanding when I give my anxieties to God, because there are just some things I can't do anything about.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Eight

2011-08-24T18:26:00.003-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

I was having a conversation not long ago which turned to the nature of belief for salvation, and the statement was made: "I believe in Jesus."

I responded with a question: "But what do you believe about him?"

They responded with another question: "Well, what do you mean when you ask if I believe in Jesus?"

I replied: "Do you believe that Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God, miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death to atone for all the sins of all humanity, that He rose from the dead after three days, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of God?"

The answer: "Oh no, I don't believe that."

Alot of people want to believe in Jesus as an important historical figure or as a great teacher or a good man without actually putting their faith in Him for salvation. For some, it is a matter of thinking they don't need a savior. For others, it is a matter of thinking that any religion will do. For others still, it is a matter of thinking they are good enough to save themselves. But none of those things are true. We are all born in need of a savior, but not just any savior; we need the one and only Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ the righteous, who said, "If you believe in me, you will have eternal life!"

And what must the nature of that belief be? It's not merely acknowledging His existence. The Bible says the demons in hell believe in God and tremble at His name. It is about putting all of our faith, hope, confidence, and trust in the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all that is, about coming to Him through Jesus Christ His son, about surrendering our lives to the One with all authority and accepting His will, plan, and purpose for us.

Today I'm thankful for the things that are finally coming together for my good and the glory of God; I've been waiting a long time for some of them.

I'm thankful for the good things that God has provided for me, the many blessings He has bestowed upon me, including some I can't yet tell you about!

I'm thankful for the promises of God, which are faithful and true; He's never let me down yet, and He's not going to start now.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful, Day Seven

2011-08-23T01:09:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord, He is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

Remember your parents' admonition--"Stay close to me now. Don't wander off." No matter what was going on, if we were out with the folks, we fully understood that they wanted us near at hand, both for our safety and their sanity. They didn't want us to be out of sight, or if we were out of sight, they wanted us within hearing range for when they called. And they often did. Calling our name out the front door, or in a crowded department store. I have one friend whose mother would walk down a deserted aisle and whistle shrilly until her children came running. Our parents wanted us close, and it was for our own good whether we realized it or not.

God wants us close too. I don't know why I can't get the Edenic imagery out of my mind, but when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden, He came every day in the cool of the day to walk with them and talk with them. He wanted them close, within calling distance. And every day they were there to meet Him, until the day when the broke the one rule He'd established for them. On the day they ate the forbidden fruit, they hid in a grove of fig trees and cowered with leaves clutched over their nakedness. When the LORD arrived and did not immediately find them (undoubtedly the all-knowing already knew what had happened and where they were), He called to them by name, "Adam! Where are you?"

Does God ever have to call your name because you've wandered too far from His presence? Does He ever have to step out on the front porch of your relationship and holler loudly for you to return home? Like Adam and Eve, we occasionally tend toward wanderlust, following the fancies of this world or our own imaginations after things we think will satisfy. But God still wants us in His presence where He can see us and look out for us, where we can hear His voice and come when He calls. And like Adam and Eve, sometimes He finds us hiding in the tattered remains of our transgressions, hoping He won't know or won't see. Even then, He calls us out and says, "Where are you?" He still wants to be with us, and He wants us to be with Him.

So instead of waiting for Him to call because we have taken a step too far, let us follow the advice of the Psalmist and come into the presence of God singing His praises and giving Him thanks, even if we also have to add our repentance to it. Throughout the Bible, the principle is clear: if we will draw near to God, God will also draw near to us. Because that is where He wants to be.

Today, I'm thankful for the favor God gives us with others, and for making a way where there seems to be no way.

I'm thankful for the provision of God who continues to meet all of my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.

I'm thankful for the care and concern for me expressed by others because of their love for me.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Six

2011-08-22T02:23:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

It occurs to me that this Psalm is addressed to everyone, everywhere. "All you lands", it says. That's who should be shouting the praises of God, even if they don't. That's also who should be serving Him with gladness and coming into His presence with singing. Everyone, everywhere. No exceptions.

From the very beginning, when God made Adam from the mud and Eve from Adam's rib, He has wanted a relationship with His creation. He desired friendship and fellowship, two things Adam was designed for. He also desired worship, still another of Adam's many purposes. And if you wonder why God wanted worship, or why you should praise Him, just think about this: He made you too. In that scoop of mud were all the sons and daughters of man made. In that one man, the seeds of all human life were placed; into the womb of his wife were those seeds sown. In that one man, God started us all. And it was for fellowship and worship.

He walked with Adam and Even in the garden in the cool of the day, when the mist was rising around them. After they were expelled from Eden, he still sought to have fellowship with them. At the entrance to Eden he placed to cherubim as guardians for the good of humanity, and there he would meet with them. That's where Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices for worship. They came before God with their offerings, though only one was acceptable because it followed a proscribed method. There they met with Him; there they walked with Him and talked with Him. Even in the midst of Cain's sin, God came and spoke to Him, still desiring fellowship.

I suppose it would be wonderful indeed if everyone everywhere simply recognized their need for God and the necessity of serving Him with gladness. Not through compulsion or coercion, but by choice. Not with a sullen heart and sour expression, but with a smile on your face and a dance in your step. Serve the Lord with gladness, it says! And why should we be glad? Why should we be thankful? If the fact that He made you and wants to spend time with you isn't reason enough for thanks, I don't know what is.

Today, I'm thankful for the presence of God that meets with us every time we gather in His name; that was a promise fulfilled today when we gathered for worship.

I'm thankful for the power of God that is at work in us, changing, transforming, renewing; because of His power, I'm a different man than I used to be, or than I could have been had I not found Jesus at an early age.

I'm thankful for the word of God that speaks to our hearts, addresses our situations, and challenges our lives; without the Word we'd be as lost as the proverbial ball in high weeds. But now we have His Word, His direction, His comfort, His knowledge, His peace, His nourishment. Need I go on?

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Five

2011-08-20T21:26:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

The Bible is clear. Everyone, everything, everywhere ought to be praising God with everything that they have. Here it says "all you lands." Elsewhere it says, "everything that has breath." Paul writes that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Psalmist writes that the trees of the field clap their hands, and Jesus said if the little children stopped praising Him, the rocks would cry out.

Everyone ought to give God praise and glory. Ought to, but they don't. It's not just Christians who have reason to be thankful. After all, the same sun shines on us all. It rains on everyone (or at least it will, when this drought in south central Texas is over) alike. We all breathe the same air, walk on the same ground. God is good to all of us, regardless of how good we are to Him.

Furthermore, Christ died for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, the perfect sinless lamb for all the sins of man. Jesus loved us while we were yet sinners and without strength. He loved us when we were unloving, unlovely and unlovable. He gave His life so that everyone could live, whosoever believes in Him. The same forgiveness, the same mercy and grace, that very same love is equally available to all.

What more reason could we have to give thanks?

I'm thankful today for the Word of God, which nourishes me Spiritually and gives me strength.

I'm thankful for the Spirit of God, who lives in me and continually works on me to make me more like Christ and less like myself.

I'm thankful for the promises of God, which give me hope of a future.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Four

2011-08-20T01:54:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD, He is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

So, I cooked a turkey this week. I know it's August, the middle of summer, but I've had this turkey in my freezer and on my mind for a while and I decided this week was the week to fix it. It was purely coincidence that I chose to cook my turkey the same week I started blogging through 100 days of thanks again. I had the whole meal planned, complete with cornbread dressing and sweet potato casserole. The only thing lacking would have been pie. I've been so hungry for turkey, possibly because I missed out on the typical indulgence of holiday bird last year.

Every time I opened the door and saw that frozen fowl on the shelf, I was reminded of Thanksgiving, and of giving thanks. There's been hardly a day that went by these last five months that I haven't thought about the 100th Psalm and my first 100 days of thanks. I once mused that perhaps I would just go on blogging my thanks, but alas, I did not. And now I'm starting the exercise again. But something I have discovered. That great hymn of thanksgiving really got down in my heart. I'm still so very thankful for all that God is, all that He has done, and all that He is going to do.

By the way, I said I cooked that turkey this week. What I didn't get to do was eat it. I cooked it one evening, then wrapped it in foil and set it in the refrigerator. One night, I robbed it of its oysters (those tender medallions of juicy dark meat in the middle of the back). Tonight, I wanted some of my special turkey salad (with chopped meat, both white and dark, celery, onion, pecans, miracle whip, salt & pepper), so I carved that turkey up. I'm saving the breasts and legs for Sunday Dinner after church with friends, I've got plenty more white meat for the Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas I'm planning, and I'm boiling the carcass and meaty wings as I type. I'm going to get lots of different meals out of that turkey.

Having that turkey reminds me so much of my many reasons to give thanks. I'm so excited about the turkey, just as we should be excited about the Lord. He gives us so much of Himself and His many wonderful blessings, and it's not all the same stuff over and over and over again. He gives us good stuff, new stuff, fresh stuff. When I'm in need, He reaches into His storehouse of endless supply and provides whatever I need whenever I need it. He is good all the time, and His mercy is forever and ever!

Today, I'm thankful for food in my refrigerator, my pantry, and now in my stomach. Even in hard times, God has never let me be hungry or without.

I'm thankful for my beautiful home that God has allowed me to live in these past five years; I'm thankful for the sale of that same house, and for the neat little apartment I found very close to my church. God has never seen me homeless.

And I'm thankful for all the people who have shared my life, my food, and my home, my friends who have become family. God has never left me alone.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Three

2011-08-19T02:59:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

Do we wake up with a groan about it being morning, or do we wake rejoicing that it is a new day to serve the Lord? Even as I ask the question, I cringe inside with the knowledge that there are days I awaken with a groan, wishing it was still dark outside so I could be justified in going back to sleep. Some days I just want to pull the covers up over my head until the day has passed me by. Some days my feet just don't want to hit the floor. But today, I awoke with a smile on my face and the praise of God on my lips. I'm not bragging; I'm just acknowledging that it happened.

And what a wonderful day it turned out to be.

I've often said that people ought to throw the covers back and leap out of bed with a shout of praise, dancing around the end of the bed speaking in tongues until the glory falls and we are ready to start our day. Then jump straight up in the air; that's Rapture practice. I've also said that if you're feeling down and out, broke down, busted and disgusted, just start shouting "Hallelujah" at the top of your lungs. It never ceased to amaze me how much good those things do me, when I follow my own advice.

Every day we should rise with the thought that it is a new day to serve the Lord, and thank Him for it. It's a new day filled with opportunity and blessing; don't let either pass you by. Yesterday's gone, you can't get it back, but thank God, when you've asked for forgiveness, you're sins are gone too. They can't come back on you. What we didn't finish yesterday, we can work on again today. What went wrong yesterday can be set right today. What we lost yesterday can be regained, or we can press on to something else, something new, something better. Memories may mingle with regrets, but living for today gives us purpose, and looking forward to tomorrow should be an exercise in hope.

So with each new day, let us start it out by giving thanks, and see what the Lord will do.

Today, I'm thankful for the strength that comes from having a personal day of rest, relaxation, restoration, and renewal. This was my day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm thankful for the money that came in the mail, and for the folks that sent it. God always knows when I'm going to be in need, and He is more than able to provide.

I'm thankful for the blessings of fellowship that I enjoyed today with so many wonderful friends, ending my day with the best one of all. And I'm thankful that I have a friend who sticks closer than a brother--Jesus Christ.

So what are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day Two

2011-08-17T18:42:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness,
Come before His presence with thanksgiving.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

I don't know how you feel about God, but I get the impression that many times we fall into the trap of thinking that the Almighty is someone to be feared and avoided at all cost, for if we get to close, we are going fry like crispy critters, that the Eternal Sovereign is a vindictive, malevolent overlord waiting for his subjects to mess up so that he can blot us out, removing us completely from existence. But God is not someone to be avoided, He is someone to be embraced. We should never run nor hide from the presence of God, but rather seek Him out and enjoy Him. That's what He wants from us, because that's what He wants to do with us.

This beautiful Psalm is all about reveling in the presence of God. It's about serving Him gladly and coming before Him in song. He doesn't want us crawling on our bellies to grovel at the lowly foot of His throne, He wants us dancing and rejoicing before Him, happy to be with Him, happy to know Him, happy to belong to Him. He wants us praising and worshiping, not crying and complaining and demeaning ourselves.

I mean, there is a place for humility. There is a time for lowliness, for meekness, for decreasing that He might increase. But there is also a time and place for celebration with Him. After all, when one soul gets saved, all of heaven rejoices. In heaven if one word of praise is uttered, it stirs an eruption of adoration from everything that has breath. So let us learn to celebrate the Lord, to worship Him, to give him loud adoration, energetic adulation. Let us open our mouths and our hearts in glorious exaltation of the God who is above all in through all and in us all!

Today I am thankful for the power of forgiveness, for the forgiveness I have received from God and from other, and for the forgiveness I am able to offer because of the love that God has put in my own heart.

I am thankful for the wonder of reconciliation, when God heals broken hearts, binding up their wounds, and restores relationships on earth.

I am thankful for the provision of peace that God has made to all who call upon Him, for He said if we pray, His peace that passes all understanding will guard our hearts and minds.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful, Day One

2011-08-16T13:02:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

I have always liked this Psalm, but late last year, I fell in love with it. For 100 Days I studied its words and journaled through it, letting the concept of thanks fill my heart and mind. What a transformational process it was! Now trying to do it again, I don't want to just rehash the same old thoughts I expressed last time. I want to find fresh meaning, fresh revelation and inspiration, fresh application in this timeless passage from God's eternal Word.

This is a Psalm of thanksgiving. It says so right in the title of the Psalm, at least in my Bible. And the overriding theme is the how and why of giving thanks. To this penman, thanksgiving was more than just a mumbled "thank you". It was an extravagant act of worship that involved body, soul and spirit. It wasn't just a prayer or simply a song; it was a melee of gratitude, an outpouring of appreciation directed heavenward in fervent and fanatical rejoicing of the heart. If you don't believe me, just look at that first suggestion: Make a joyful shout! In the old KJV, it's noise. Make a joyful noise to the LORD! In the words of an old campfire tradition, it was basically saying, "We're gonna raise a ruckus tonight!"

When we give thanks to the Lord, is that the kind of enthusiasm we employ? There is so much to be thankful for; not realizing that is one reason I want to do these 100 days again. I want to give thanks with all my heart and soul, because He is God, He is creator and sustainer, redeemer and friend, He is good and His mercy is forever. That's something to get excited about.

I'm thankful today for faith that sees the invisible, receives the incredible, and believes the impossible. That kind of faith comes only from the Lord.

I'm thankful today for hope that holds on and does not give up, because it will not be disappointed. That kind of hope comes only from the Lord.

I'm thankful today for love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things, for love that does not fail. That kind of love comes only from the Lord.

Father, thank you, and please increase my faith, strengthen my hope, and inspire my love today.

100 Days of Thanks

2011-08-16T12:33:00.002-05:00

Just after Thanksgiving last year, a day that started a process I could not have foreseen or even hoped for, a pastor friend introduced me to a concept that really took hold of my imagination. This is what he suggested:

Read the 100th Psalm.

Study it using the Psalm's format as your guide.

Journal about it.

List three things for which you are thankful.

Do it every day, for 100 days.

It took me a little longer than 100 days, but I blogged 100 times through the 100th Psalm, giving thanks everyday for three things. It was a transformational exercise through which I was tremendously blessed in a multitude of ways. I experienced important changes in my own life, and in the world around me as I gave thanks to the Lord. And to be quite honest, I've missed doing it.

From today, August 16, there are 100 days until our Thanksgiving holiday, and I've decided to try it again...100 Days of Thanks. I will attempt to blog everyday for 100 days on the 100th Psalm, and give thanks through it. But I would also like to invite you to join me on this journey of thanks. Perhaps you'd like to list 3 things your thankful for on each day you read the blog; post your thoughts in the comments here or on Facebook if you like. But let's see what happens when we rediscover the grace of giving thanks.

Don Quixote

2011-07-09T21:16:00.004-05:00

My Mother tells me that I can't fix everything. But that doesn't keep me from wanting to try. You see, ever since I was an adolescent boy, my hero has been Don Quixote de la Mancha, which usually means I go off fighting windmills and chasing dragons, constantly dreaming the impossible dream. (If any of this is lost on you, I suggest you find the musical Man of La Mancha or read the classic Spanish novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes). I have often been the one to see giants instead of windmills, castles instead of taverns, and beautiful dreams instead of awful realities.

At one point, Cervantes is accused of being an idealist, a bad poet, and an honest man...to which he pleads guilty. He says, I've been a soldier and a slave. I've seen my comrades fall in battle or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I've held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing. No glory, no brave last words, only their eyes, filled with confusion, questioning "Why?" I don't think they were wondering why they were dying, but why they had ever lived. When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? To surrender dreams - -this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness! But maddest of all - -to see life as it is and not as it should be.

I want to bring cheer where there is nothing but sorrow, and hope where there is nothing but loss.

I want to be a friend to the friendless, and help to the helpless.

I want to fight unwinnable battles and duel unbeatable foes.

I want to right the worst of wrongs and make up with good for the bad things that were done.

I want to love the unlovely, unloving and the unlovable.

I want to speak words of encouragement to those who are broken down.

I want to see the invisible, receive the incredible, and believe the impossible.

I want to heal broken hearts and bind up their wounds.

I have at times been accused of always needing a cause, a hill to die on, a distressing damsel to rescue. I have made myself a fool standing up for things I believed in. I have sometimes brought trouble on myself by speaking out about things when others wished I would just sit down and shut up. I am not always understood, not always appreciated, but I'm not looking for admiration or recognition. I'm simply doing what I have to do.

I'll charge hell with a water pistol and go devil hunting with a switch.

I'm afraid of nothing.

I'll get out of the boat if someone calls to me.

I want to make the world a better place.

I want to heal broken hearts and bind up wounds.

Maybe my mother is right. I can't fix everything. If I could, life would be a lot different now. My life would be different now. But there are just some things that can't be fixed. There are some circumstances that cannot be changed. There are some people who can't be helped. Through it all, one thing I have learned...and that is how not to give up. I don't give up on God, I don't give up on living, and I won't give up on you.

Love, Day Three

2011-06-28T12:12:00.002-05:00

"A new commandment I give to you,

that you love one another;

as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all will know that you are My disciples,

if you have love for one another."

John 13:34-35, NKJV

As Jesus sat around the table of his final supper before the crucifixion, he looked at his motley crew, this varied collection of intellectuals and blue collar workers, of former government employees, zealous revolutionaries, and ambitious politicians. He understood that he was the hub that held the wheel of their relationship together. He was the center, the glue, their entire reason for being together. Already there were arguments about positions of power and influence, both now and in the kingdom to come. There were jealousies and rivalries and little intrigues. This cohesion was fragile and tentative, and he was about to leave. What would hold them together after he was gone?

What would bind the fisherman to the priest, the zealot to the taxman? What would bind the young to the old, the rich to the poor, the slave to the free? What would bind these prejudiced and sometimes bigoted men to the Gentiles who would be coming into their ranks? What would empower them to go where they did not want to go, to people they did not want to go to, and offer what they naturally wanted to keep to themselves? Jesus knew they need one thing, and one thing only. Jesus understood, all they needed was love.

It was a new commandment, and yet an old one. The commandment to love God and to love one's neighbor was as old as the Law itself, spoken by the same voice at the same time and written by the same hand that gave them their Ten Commandments. Jesus had spoken of it before, calling it the Great Commandment. Now he institutes it as the singular tenet of his kingdom and their future. Love one another.

Much has been made of the four loves, especially in Christian circles by those familiar with C.S. Lewis. In exploring the concepts of Biblical, Godly love, Lewis identifies the four relationship kinds of love--affection, friendship, romance and unconditional love. Storge. Phileo. Eros (& Venus). And, finally, Agape. It is this last one that he identifies as the kind of love which has its source in God. It is the kind of love Jesus instructed his disciples to have for each other. It's the kind of love Jesus commands us to have, one for another.

Jesus wasn't telling them to like each other. He wasn't telling them to be nice to each other. He wasn't telling them that they were family and had no choice in the matter. He wasn't telling them to be "in love" with each other. He was telling them to discover the kind of unconditional, everlasting, completely selfless love that he was about to demonstrate for them. For he said "Greater love has no one than this, that a man lays down his life for his friends." He was about to show the world the meaning of sacrificial love, and he wanted his disciples to understand it first and appropriate its power and meaning for themselves.

The kind of love he was talking about would define their existence, identifying them as his followers and setting them apart in a world that didn't--and still doesn't--understand the nature of true love.

It was a love of welcome and acceptance, without reservation.

It was a love of fellowship and entertaining others, of sharing your life liberally with others.

It was a love of fondness, demonstrated by affection and kindness, which is why the apostles later urged their readership to greet one another with a holy kiss.

It was a love of depth and dearness, of holding others close to your heart.

It was the kind of love Jesus had for the whole world, the kind of love Jesus had for us...when we were unloving, unlovely, and unlovable. And it's the kind of love Jesus wants us to have for each other now.

Things My Father Taught Me

2011-06-19T00:25:00.002-05:00

I had my Dad for 25 years and some months before God saw fit to take him to heaven. It's where he wanted to go for as long as I can remember, so I don't exactly begrudge him the trip. Some have had their father's longer, yes, but some have had him for far fewer days than I did. But if I can be certain of anything, it is this: it is not the quantity of days that I shared with him that counts. It is the quality of those days that really matter.

Dad and I had lots of good times. To be honest, we had some not so good times too. But for the most part we had good times. I wouldn't say we had alot in common, but there was a common bond of love, and later of friendship and discipleship. We didn't share the same interests, but the things we did share were invaluable. We didn't always think the same way; we didn't always agree or see eye to eye. But we had the same heart for the things that truly mattered. Dad taught me alot about life and living and love and the Lord, and in celebration of Father's Day, I thought I would recall some of the things my Dad taught me.

Dad taught me

how to swim--by throwing me in. (thank God for floaties!)

how to ride a bike--even though I crashed my first time out.

how to change a tire--but not where the key was to the hubcap.

how to drive--starting when I was 11.

how to parallel park--I failed that part of the driving test, but can do it good today.

how to drive a stick-shift--even though I stalled multiple times on my date that night.

how to play chess and monopoly and 42--how to be thrilled with winning, and when you lose, how to be thrilled with playing.

the difference between right and wrong--that one brings rewards (usually eternal) and the other brings consequences (usually immediately, like a spanking)

my need for Jesus Christ as a personal savior--the single most important thing I learned.

how to pray--at all times in lots of different ways

how to read the Bible, how to enjoy its words and receive life from their meaning.

how to preach--not by instruction, but by example (and sometimes what not to say.)

There are lessons I wish I had learned from my Dad, things I wish he could teach me now. But God is gracious, and I have so much to be thankful for in having had such a man of God as my Dad.

Love, Day Two

2011-06-08T17:01:00.003-05:00

Jesus said to him,

"'You shall love the LORD your God

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like it:

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

On these two commandments

hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 22:37-40, NKJV

People always want to know what the biggest sin is, as if not committing it is going to be their ticket into heaven. I've heard it over and over again, people who point to the "greater sins" and say, "See, I'm not that bad. I haven't done..." And then they fill in the blank. They don't lie. Much. They don't steal. Unless it's cheating on their taxes. They don't commit adultery or murder. Even if they think about it from time to time. They're just not that bad. But they try to uphold their goodness without really understanding what the standard of measurement is, and that pleasing God and obtaining eternal life is not about following a specific set of rules, but rather about the condition of the heart.

Jesus was dealing with people whose lives were completely absorbed with following rules and regulations. They had 10 commandments, identified 623 supportive and explanatory rules, and developed volumes and volumes of commentary on each of the commandments, so that they knew and understood exactly how to adhere to the strictest point of the law...and still do what they wanted to do. So they kept coming to Jesus, these scholars and theologians and followers of the law, wanting him to identify for them what was the most important commandment to follow. Really, they wanted to trap Jesus with His own words. Instead, Jesus turned it around on them with an unexpected answer.

The greatest commandment is love.

First of all, love God. After that, love everybody else. That's it. That's all you have to do.

I can imagine their thought process. Wait a minute. What? Love? What about Thou Shalt Not? What about not having idols or worshiping demons? What about not working on Saturday and honoring God's name? What about obeying your parents? What about not lying, stealing, killing, adulterating, and coveting? What about our rules?

And Jesus said the greatest commandment is love. Loving God, loving people. Those two statements summarize 10 commandments, 39 books, and 1500 years of sacred writing and teaching. Love. That's it.

But what about blasphemy? If you love God, you're not going to blaspheme.

What about idolatry? If you love God, you're not going to worship something else.

What about murder? What about adultery? If you love people, you're not going to kill them, or sleep with their spouse.

What about lying? Love. Stealing? Love. Jealousy? Envy? Greed? Love.

I always marvel. We started out with one rule: Don't eat the fruit. We didn't keep it. God added another, 1500 years later: Don't kill each other. We didn't keep it. God gave the ten commandments. Failure times ten to the nth degree. And now we're back to one again: Love. People complain all the time about the laws and rules and regulations of God, when they don't understand the simplicity of God's requirement.

As one philosophical song-writer of the last century wrote: All you need is love.

Love, Day One

2011-05-27T13:29:00.002-05:00

For many years, I have thought about the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us a list of nine virtues, characteristics of Jesus Christ, which should be produced in the life of someone who has been crucified with Christ and given new life through the Spirit. Paul names them: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of Spiritual Fruit. One time I did a study and came up with at least nine more, gleaned from similar lists throughout the New Testament: hope, thanksgiving, generosity, hospitality, perseverance, forgiveness, forbearance, mercy, & zeal. Surely there are many more virtues which we as Christians should cultivate in our lives in sincere imitation of Jesus Christ, but this is a start.

A couple of months ago, I finished 100 Days of Thanks--blogging through Psalm 100 for 100 days and giving thanks for three specific things each day. It was a transformational experience for me, and I've been looking for something similar to do ever since, perhaps concentrating on one thought or virtue for a week, or a month, at a time. So today, I begin blogging through the fruit of the Spirit, starting with love.

LOVE

"You have heard that it was said,

'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

But I say to you,

love your enemies,

bless those who curse you,

do good to those who hate you,

and pray for those who spitefully use you

and persecute you,

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven...

Therefore you shall be perfect,

just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Matthew 5:43-48, NKJV

When I started thinking about this new blogging project, I thought to myself, let's see what Jesus had to say about love. So I went to my favorite online Bible resource and did a word search. How surprised was I to find that the first time you hear the word love in the New Testament, it's from the mouth of Jesus--and it's about your enemies.

One time when I was reading through the Psalms, I started keeping track of things David said about his enemies. Here are some of my favorites, paraphrased by yours truly:

God, throw my enemy down on the ground...and kick his teeth out.
God, chase my enemy down a dark and slippery path. Pull his shorts up over his head, spin him around, and confuse him.

God, turn the weapons of my enemy back on him!

As a pastor pointed out to me once, David was living in a time when his enemies were out to kill him, literally. I was told, "We're not living under that kind of threat today." I thought to myself, you may not be, but I've encountered some pretty mean church people in my day! But the point is true; to my knowledge, I don't really have anyone around me who is plotting my death or downfall. If you are, please keep it to yourself. I need to sleep at night.

And of course, we always have the devil to contend with, a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

But Jesus defined our enemy this way: Does anyone curse you? Do they hate you or despitefully use you? Does anyone persecute your? If they do, that's your enemy. Our natural instinct is to hurl curses and insults back at the ones who verbally abuse us. We think, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me! We want vengeance (or at the very least, justice) wreaked on our enemies because of the wrong they have done to us. But Jesus expects something quite different from us.

He says to love them.

Show them the love that God has shown you, even when you were his own enemy. For you did not love God first, God loved you first. You did not choose God, God chose you by love. So we need to direct that love toward others, especially the ones who are undeserving of it.

Are you kidding me? someone might think. Indeed, I am not. And I've had some personal experience with this. In four decades of living, there are a few people who hurt me. And I'm not talking about Jr. High punks who called me names or picked on me at recess. I'm not talking about little blondes who turned me down and broke my heart in High School. There have been some full grown, mature adults, many calling themselves my brother or sister in Christ, who have wronged me, who have cursed me and mine, who have used and abused me. There have been some who have hated me, and perhaps even hate me still.

I've had to learn to love them.

I've had to discipline myself to smile with sincerity and greet them warmly, even though I wanted to hold them at arm's length and guard against a knife in my back. I've had to resist the desire to literally spit, or spew insults, and instead utter words that were sickening to me: I love you. And why? Because Jesus said to. And I've got to tell you, it's more than just outward actions and spoken words. It's got to be a heart thing for it to do any good.

Instead of wanting to run people down with my car because of the damage they did to me, I've had to learn to love them. One day while working in the yard, the hot sun beating down on my neck, sweat pouring from my face, dirt and grass clinging to my skin, I was really going after someone in my mind. Things I wanted to tell them. Things I wanted to do to them. Things I wish would happen to them. Like the earth opening up and swallowing them whole. Like lightning from heaven scorching them to a black spot on the sidewalk. And then the Lord spoke to me and said, "Why don't you pray for them." My response was, "Haven't you been listening, God? I HAVE been praying for them. Lightning and earthquakes, God!" But Jesus told us to pray for them, and to bless them. How bitter those words tasted in my mouth the first time I had to do it! But how sweet it was, when the words began to take hold in my heart.

I'll also tell you this: vindication is no fun. When justice (not vengeance) is finally fulfilled, it is not a reward to those who have waited for it. I have lived long enough to see justice done on some of my enemies, on some who cursed and hated and abused and persecuted and reviled me, and it is not pretty. And just when it seemed that God had indeed heard my prayers and finally avenged me, the Lord speaks again and says, "Go do something good for that one." Are you kidding me, God? Do you know what they said about me, what the did to me?

I promise you, God does indeed know...but we need to leave the scorekeeping to Him. We don't have all the facts. We can't see the fate and future of those who have harmed us. So we need to put those things from our mind and do what God expects us to do. We don't do bad to them; if bad needs to be done, God is the fair and balanced judge of how to handle those things. Instead, we do good to them. We bless them. We minister to their needs. We assist them if we can. We keep showing them the love of Christ.

For who knows--perhaps loving our enemy will turn them into a friend.

In God I Trust

2011-04-12T18:16:00.002-05:00

In God

(I will praise His word),

In the LORD

(I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust.

Psalm 56:10-11, NKJV

Who can you trust these days? Is there anywhere to put your confidence? Where is the fulfillment of your hope? In what do you place your faith?

Either there is a God, or there is not. Either His Word, the Bible, is truth, or it is not. Either what He does is always good and right and just, or it's not. Either what He says is faithful and true, or it is not. Either I believe those things, or I do not. The choice is mine.

I've seen the world. You can't trust the words coming out of many political mouths these days; people will say anything to get elected, and then go on promising while they do their own thing. Advertising promises you the world, only when you get it, it's a cheap plastic imitation that breaks. Songs of the day tickle our ears and tease our hearts with the prospect of cheap thrills and endless pleasure, without telling you the truth about heartbreak and consequences. Those whose words should be a constant encouragement are more like a barrage of criticism and condemnation.

Financial systems are failing; economic crisis looms. The earth is off its axis, and weather patterns are crazy. There's war and disease and famine and pestilence and disaster and tragedy and crisis and chaos. Nothing seems to be going right, and sometimes I think the ground is falling away beneath me.

So what do I do? I truly have no choice. I trust in the LORD. I put my trust in God a long time ago, and He has never disappointed me, never left me alone, never forsaken nor forgotten me. He has always been faithful to His word, and I praise His word. I praise His name. I praise His promises, and know that they are faithful and true.

People lie. People die. People change. People move. People fail.

But God never does. So I will put my faith, my confidence, my hope and my trust in the LORD, and I will continue on with Him until He fulfills what He promised, until He completes what He started, until He does what He said He was going to do! And until He does, I will praise the LORD!

Thankful, Day One-Oh-One

2011-04-09T23:07:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

When you've done something (almost) every day for four months, it's kind of hard to stop. I began to suspect early on that once I got started blogging the 100th Psalm for 100 days, it would not be an easy thing to walk away from, even in completion. It was with a great sense of fulfillment that I wrote the 100th blog last night, but I wanted to right another one, just one more perhaps, for Day 101.

And this time I'd like to issue a challenge, a clarion call to thanksgiving.

I spent the last 100 (really more like 130) days taking stock of my life through introspection and self-examination. I searched my heart every day, my mind, my memory, my emotions. Some days I liked what I found, other days not so much. But I combed my thoughts for objects of thanksgiving. What was I truly thankful for?

It's been interesting to go back through the blogs and finding recurring themes with each line, each truth contained in Psalm 100. Many times, days or even weeks apart, I wrote almost identical thoughts. I know I gave thanks for some things repeatedly. Like Mom, and God's grace. I have to confess that there were a whole lot of things I wanted to shout from the rooftops, so many things I wanted to thank God for publicly but have refrained out of a sense of modesty or propriety or privacy. There have been many days where I was bursting to tell you all the wonderful things God had done for me, but restrained myself due to the fact that not all things are for public consumption; at least not yet.

And there are lots more things in my life that elicit my gratitude. I believe I have discovered that there is no end of things to thank God for. And that thanks easily turns into praise, and praise in the heart and on the lips gets the attention of God, for He inhabits the praises of His people. He responds to our thanksgiving. He lives in our worship. And then He moves. He moves on our behalf, according to His will, plan and purpose, working all things together for our good and His glory, working all things according to the counsel of His will. For He can do everything, and none of His purposes are withheld from Him.

So here's my challenge: Who among you would consider Psalm 100 for the next 100 days, study it, write about it using its natural outline, and then journal 3 things you are thankful for? You don't even have to post it online; that's simply the way I do things. But how about for yourself? And then see how 100 days of thanks can change your life.

Today, I am thankful for the grace that only God can provide. No one else has the power, authority, or will to forgive my sins, heal my heart, and transform me into His own image and likeness. No one else provided atonement and payment for my sins; no one else took my place and my punishment. No one else loves me enough to do that, but God does!

I'm thankful for the love that only God can provide, the love that stirs in my heart for Him, and the love that I have for other people. I often joke that there are some people whom I don't like, but that I have always managed to love them anyway. Through the years, God has taught me to love unconditionally and self-sacrificially, and that's how I try to live out this love.

I'm thankful for the assurance that only God can provide. He is the one who holds tomorrow, who sees all things past, present and future and knows the beginning from the end. It is by faith that I put my trust, my confidence, and my hope in Him and His word, believing His promises and holding onto them.

Thankful, Day 100

2011-04-08T23:32:00.003-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

This is the end of my 100 Days of Thanks, as a blogging exercise. But the thanksgiving will go on!

Thank you Michael Fleming for suggesting it. It's been a tremendous blessing to me!

Thank you friends for following me on this journey. I hope it has been a blessing to you!

Thank you God for developing within me a heart of thanksgiving. You have blessed me through it, changing my perspective, my circumstances, and my life.

Thankful, Day Ninety-Nine

2011-04-07T11:58:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

The One Hundredth Psalm. 100 Days of blogging. 127 days invested in this exercise of thanksgiving. In some ways it seems like a long time; in other ways it seems like only yesterday that I took up the challenge of giving thanks for 100 days. When I first started, I thought I would never have enough to blog about; now that it's almost over, I realize I have only just begun.

As I recall, December was a difficult month. I did do it every day, but many days I was simply going through the motions; this is what I had to do. I started this project, I was going to see it through to the end. But as the month went on, and the thanksgiving and praise began to flow from my heart, I noticed changes beginning to take place. The changes were in me. I have to confess, I was sad alot during that first month; those weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's are usually kind of hard for me, for reasons I won't go into here. Even surrounded by family and friends, I felt alone in the world. Forsaken. Forgotten. Trying to serve God faithfully with no sign of reward. Not that I do it for reward, you know. But still, it's nice to be patted on the head once in a while and told, "You're doing a good job, son. Here's a candy bar. Or five bucks. Way to go!" It wasn't happening. Nevertheless, I spent a month thanking God.

In January, it was as if the heavens opened and light flooded down into my life. Suddenly, the world was different, better somehow. Things that I had prayed for began to happen. Broken things got fixed. Lost things got restored. After months of grief, I recovered my joy. I knew that God had been listening all along, and working, and that everything was going to be okay! And the thanks continued.

February brought repeated joys and little victories. As I continued to give thanks, I could see God's hand working all around me. His voice was clear, His words sweet to my ear. This was life on the mountaintop, with only a few insignificant clouds. From here the view is great, and I can see the light of day shining on the path ahead.

But as I've said many times before, God didn't call us to camp out on the mountaintop where everything is great. We are on a journey, bound for heaven as we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. That journey takes up one side of the mountain to the top, and down the other side of the mountain into the valley below. The climbing is hard, the descent is easier; both can be treacherous. Then there's the walk through the valley, sometimes in the shadow of death, where evil abounds and enemies beset on every hand. The climb out of the valley is strenuous, fraught with danger. It's hard work. It's when we wonder if we have the strength to make it out, but then we recall the last climb upward and we remember the goodness of God at the top. We know that God is still with us, so we press on. I guess that sums up my March. And some days thanking God took a little more effort.

Now the 100 days of thanks is almost over; and God is always good.

Thank you Lord for this journey, this process, this little trip up one side of the mountain and down the other. You have carried me from valley to valley, and I'm sure that another mountaintop awaits. Even if I can't see it yet for the canopy of leaves and the cloud cover, I know that it is there, for already I can feel the climb beneath my travel-trained feet.

Thank you Lord for the mountaintop experience, both the memory and the dream. Back there was good, but up ahead is even better. I'm looking forward to the climb, to scaling the lofty heights of whatever is next for me. The blessings you have granted are mere foretastes of what you have in store.

Thank you Lord for the valley, for it is here that I really learn to trust you. It is here that I learn to press on, to endure hardship, to walk by faith and not by sight. Up top I can see everything for miles and miles around; down here, I can see a few feet in front of me. Here is where I learn to depend upon you for guidance and for strength. Here is where I grow.

Thankful, Day Ninety-Eight

2011-04-06T11:10:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates wtih thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

People have such a foggy understanding of truth these days. They don't always tell it, and they don't always want to hear it. The saddest part of all is they don't always know what it is. Our culture has made truth so malleable, so changeable. We are told that truth is relative to who we are or where we are or what situation we are in. It's okay to lie, if you're sparing someone's feelings, or if you're protecting yourself or helping someone else out. And absolute truth...well, that's something that belongs in the dark and distant past when we weren't so enlightened. But now that we've discovered the divine spark within all of us, truth is what we make it. Truth is whatever we want to believe. And you better not be trying to tell me what truth is, because your truth may not necessarily be true for me.

It's those same people who believe in evolution and extra-terrestrial life. We've seen no proof for either one whatsoever, but people still want to accept them as truth.

When there is no truth, there is no supreme moral law. But people still want to point to things and say, "that's wrong." And it's wrong because "we can all agree that it's wrong." Like murder. And rape. And child abuse. Everyone will agree that those things are wrong. Everyone, that is, excpet the murderer, the rapist, and the abuser. Those people think their actions are just fine. So if truth is relative, how can we really say that anything is right or wrong?

Without truth, we can adopt any set of rules or practices that we want and call it right. It's how some can say that "all roads lead to God" or "everyone's going to heaven, no matter what we beleive." It's also how people can say, "there is no God. This life is all you get."

However, the TRUTH of the matter is this: there is a God, and you're not Him. He wants His creation to know Him, so He revealed Himself through His Word, which is absolute truth. He revealed Himself through His son Jesus Christ, who is the faithful and true witness. He is the same yesterday, today and forever; what He said yesterday still stands sure today. His truth never changes, and it pronounces judgment on all who add to or take away from it.

Now, you may not believe that. And you don't have to. You have the right, the freedom, and the liberty to believe and practice anything you want. Just be prepared to accept the consequences if you are wrong. Because the absolute truth says there are consequences for them who do not believe it.

God, I'm thankful for Your true and faithful Word in the Bible, inspired, written, and preserved for our benefit. Thank you for telling us what You want us to know, what You want us to believe, and how You want us to live. That way, I don't have to make up life as I go along.

God, I'm thankful for your true and faithful Word in the person of Jesus Christ, immortal, all-powerful, and on my side. Thank you for sending Your own self in human form, for sacrificing Your own flesh and blood on behalf of my transgressions, for defeating death, hell and the grave in the resurrection, and for the promise of His soon return. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

God, I'm thankful for Your true and faithful Word to me personally for my own life. You haven't added to Your Word, nor taken anything away, neither have You contradicted Yourself by speaking to me. You merely enlighten and grant wisdom and understanding; You guide and direct through all forms of communication with me; You open the eyes of my heart and mind to see Your truth for what it really is--always true and fully applicable to me today. And when You speak, You are always right.

Thank Your Lord for speaking--through your Word, through your Son, and through your Spirit directly to me. I need to hear from you.

Thankful, Day Ninety-Seven

2011-04-05T22:18:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Since I talked about my Dad in the last blog, I thought I'd at least give you some insight into my own shady history. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior, repented of my sinful wickedness, and surrendered my life to God on September 24, 1978...at the tender age of 6. That's right, I "got saved", I was "born again", at six years old. I've recommitted my life to Him multiple times over, but that first time was thirty-three years ago this fall. I was changed that day, transformed from a sinner into a saint, brought out of darkness into marvelous light. God made my whole world different! And thank God He did! Because I was on my way to hell (in spite of what Rob Bell may think).

And you may think, "C'mon! You were six! How bad could you have been?" If you have to ask the question, you must not know many six year olds, and you've obviously forgotten what it was like to be one.

By the age of six, I knew how to steal, and lie, and lie about stealing. I stuck bubblegum in the neighbor kid's hair, and threw rocks at the boys down the street. I stuck nails in the tires of cars belonging to people I didn't like. I was stubborn and rebellious. I backtalked my Mama alot. I drowned our pet cat one time (and my Pentecostal mother prayed that cat back to life!). Do you get the picture that I wasn't a very nice little boy? Oh, lots of people thought I was an angel, but I'm pretty sure there were some demonic imps propping up my halo.

Suffice it to say (and I haven't even told everything I could) I was a wretched little boy and I needed Jesus in my life. I got saved at 6, and I quit lying and stealing and throwing rocks and sabotaging tires and drowning cats. And I did pretty good with myself for a few years, 'til I became a teenager and discovered a whole new world of rotten things I could do that had never entered my mind as a child. And afterward was adulthood, and more stupid choices and actions. And now I'm middle-aged...and guess what? There are still ugly things I find myself doing. Even though I know better and mostly don't want to do those things anymore, sometimes I choose to do what is wrong rather than what I know to be right.

So I'm thankful for God's mercy today. The Bible says the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning! He is full of compassion and abounding in mercy. His tender mercy continues to be made known unto me. And I'm so very thankful that He hasn't run out of mercy for me and fried me to a little greasy spot on the sidewalk. He is longsuffering, willing not that I should perish, but rather that I should come to repentance.

Thank you Lord for that initial act of mercy that saved me as a six year old child from myself, from sin and sickness and satan and hell. Thank you Lord for extending Your love and forgiveness to me thirty-three years ago. I don't know where'd I'd be without it, and it's no fun thinking about it.

Thank you Lord for your continued grants of mercy that are always available when I call on your name, especially after I have stumbled and fallen by making stupid choices. Thank you Lord for extending your love and forgiveness to me on a daily basis, if need be. I don't want to live a day outside of your grace and love and mercy.

Thank you Lord for your unending mercy that will continue to work in me until I have become like you. Thank you Lord for extending the kind of mercy that never ceases, that never ends, that is from everlasting to everlasting. Amen.

Thankful, Day Ninety-Six

2011-04-02T17:08:00.003-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

God is good all the time! Our circumstances may not be, we may not be. But God is definitely and always good. He is good to me, He is good for me, He is good inside me, He is good all around me. My God is good good good, and like the Psalmist, I say, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." He also said, "Eat my flesh, and drink my blood." He wasn't talking about cannibalism, but rather partaking in His goodness. He said, "I am the bread of life." Eat of him, and you'll never go hungry. He's also the water of life; drink of him, and you'll never be thirsty. Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water!

There's this video clip from youtube that I love to post. I watch it often, and even show it at church from time to time. It's a little girl with the most serious look on her face shouting like a preacher, "God is faithful, and He's still good! My my my!" And it's true. If we learn early that the Lord is infinitely and personally good, then we can take anything, because no matter what comes our way, God is with us and He is good. He works all things together for good to them that love Him and are called according to His purpose. He is a good God who gives good gifts to His children, and every good and perfect gift are from Him.

Or like the preacher of old who said as they lashed him to the stake upon which he would burn: "Eighty-six years I've served Him, and He's never done me anything but good. I won't repent, and I won't recant!"

Thank you Lord for your goodness to me in blessing me with a godly mother, and a godly heritage. Thirty-five years ago (yesterday) you saved my wretch of a father and raised him out of darkness to walk in marvelous light. You saved my mother, and you saved me. They brought me up in the way I should go, and I will not depart from it.

Thank you Lord for your goodness to me in blessing me with those things that I have need of, and even those things I have want of. I can see your hand at work, and can't wait to see what happens next as I continue to seek you.

Thank you Lord for your goodness to me in blessing me with your love, in filling my heart with love, and turning it where you want it to go. I only thought I had known love before; but now I know it for real, and I rejoice in its goodness.

Thankful, Day Ninety-Five

2011-04-01T12:18:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Have I thanked Him enough? Have I been thankful enough? 95 days of blogging, 119 days of this exercise in thanksgiving, and I feel like I am only scratching the surface of being thankful. To tell the truth, it's made me realize how thankless I had been before. I mean, I thanked God for the day (unspecifically), thanked God for the food (out of habit), thanked God for His blessings (in general), thanked God for His love and forgiveness (which I am often in need of), thanked God for...and then I was usually asleep. It's not that I was ungrateful; it's not really that I took His goodness for granted. It's just that I never really took the time to make myself aware of all His detailed and specific blessings, and to be specifically and repeatedly thankful.

I truly hope that my life will never be the same as a result of these 100 days of thanks. I'm truly thankful for all the things He has done for me, all the things He has given me, all the things He has forgiven and forgotten. I'm thankful for His promises and His provision, for His guidance and His direction, for His constant presence and blessed assurance. I'm thankful for His Word, for His voice, for His hand at work in my life. I'm thankful for His Son Jesus Christ, who took my place on the cross, who took my sin upon Himself, and died so that I might live. I'm thankful for the name given to Him which is above every name, the name through which my prayers are answered, at which demons tremble, every knee bows and every tongue confesses. I'm thankful for the Holy Ghost, who is God's presence in me, power and comfort and teaching and correction.

As a result of this exercise, my heart has been changed, my mind renewed, my hope restored. I have experienced healing from hurts and the restoration of things I thought lost for good. My faith in God, in His power and His promises, has been revived. I have seen Him work miracles, performing through His sovereignty in moments what my hand could not accomplish ever. I have witnessed His hand in changing circumstances and hearts, in providing for me in ways I could not have imagined, in doing what no other power could do. Is it really all because of my giving of thanks?

Perhaps this is why the Bible says:

Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing.

In everything give thanks.

Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything, with prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace that passes all understanding

will guard your heart and mind.

Give thanks to the LORD,

Our God and King,

His love endures forever!

I'm thankful today for the lessons I have learned, for the things God has taught me through His servants, through His Word, and through His Spirit. Through them I have (hopefully) learned perseverance, which builds character, which produces hope that does not disappoint. I've made it safe thus far with God; by grace I'm gonna make it safe home.

I'm thankful today for the lessons I am learning, even though they are hard. The reasons for my testing and my trial are not always apparent to my weak and feeble eyes, but I just keep plugging along, because I know that God is doing something special. If I don't faint in the day of adversity, if I do not flag or fail, if I weary not in well-doing, if I don't lose heart. I have put my hand to the plow; I will not look back.

I'm thankful for the lessons I have yet to learn, which lie still ahead on the road to glory. I wish I already knew everything, having attained perfection and grace, having reached the heights of knowledge and wisdom and understanding. Unfortunately, I will attain such stature when I am dead, resurrected and glorified. Until then, I'm going to go on with Jesus, and I will go on to the end.

Thankful, Day Ninety-Four

2011-03-31T15:15:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

What would happen if we spent more time praising, and less time complaining? What if we praised God instead of worried about our circumstances or situation? How different would the world around us or we ourselves be if we continually offered to God the sacrifice of praise as the fruit of our lips instead of what usually comes out? What if we tried expending our energies telling God how good He is, instead of how bad things are?

I'm human, just like everyone else. I'm far from perfect, but thankfully forgiven. I'm a work in progress. Which means I don't always do what's right, even when it's my own advice. For many years, I've told people they should start their day by throwing the covers back, leaping out of bed, and dancing around the rug speaking in tongues until the glory falls. Then they can get dressed and start their day. Now ask me if I've ever done it. Alright, since you asked, I'll tell you. I have done it, and the days when I do it start out great and get better from there. Even when the darkness encroaches on me, the light shines brighter the darker things get. But I don't do it every day, even though I should.

I've been known to complain, criticize, gripe and second-guess God. I've been known to point out others faults and failures, put other people down, pick at their scars and scabs. I've been known to moan and groan over my own pitiful circumstances and feel sorry for myself and wish for everyone in the world to either like me or die. I've been known to wallow in my own muck and mire, apathetic and praying for a miracle that my own action would perform. I've been known to poopoo God when I should have been praising Him. But I'm working on it.

So here's some good advice I'm gonna try out on myself.

When things go your way, and everything is sunny, praise the Lord.

When things go awry, and the thunder rolls, praise the Lord.

When life is easy, and your up on the mountain, praise the Lord.

When things change, and your down in the valley, praise the Lord.

When you experience freedom and liberty, and have peace of mind like you've never known, praise the Lord.

When you're broke down, busted, and disgusted, enslaved, imprisoned, tortured and tormented, praise the Lord.

In sickness or in health, in poverty or in wealth, praise the Lord.

In success and triumph, in failure and defeat, praise the Lord.

In love and in hate, in acceptance and in rejection, in sorrow and in rejoicing, praise the Lord.

In tears and in laughter, praise the Lord.

In hurt and pain, in joy and comfort, praise the Lord.

We need to praise God anywhere and everywhere, for anything and everything, in good times and in bad! No matter what tomorrow brings, or what it has in store, I will praise the Lord!

Lord, I'm thankful today for the rough patches in life; they make me appreciate the smooth and gentle path all the more.

Lord, I'm thankful today for the dark and stormy days; they make me appreciate the sunshine all the more.

Lord, I'm thankful for bitterness that life sometimes pours into my cup; it makes me appreciate the sweet nectar that you offer all the more.

Thankful, Day Ninety-Three

2011-03-29T13:30:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I've said it before; I'll say it again. There are times when it is an easy thing to offer thanks to God, especially when everything is great and going my way. Then there are other times. What do we do then, when the sun isn't shining so bright? When the world is not as it should be? When it's storm clouds and rain instead of brightness and blessing? The Psalmist gives us the answer in the 150th Psalm--We praise God anyway.

Have you ever thanked God for the bad stuff that happens in life, the things you think of as negatives? I'm always reminded of Betsy ten Boom, Corrie's older sister who died in a concentration camp, who thanked God for the fleas. After all, it was the fleas that kept the German guards out of their dormitories and allowed them the freedom of leading people in worship to God. Then I'm also reminded of Job after he'd lost it all, who prayed, "Blessed be the name of the Lord!" And I think of Paul in prison, who said, "I've learned in whatever state I am in to be content." And I've never had it anywhere near as bad as those folks.

There's this one thing that happened to me a few years ago that I'm not sure I actually thanked God for. But I'm about to, because I realize if it hadn't happened, none of the good things happening now would have been possible. I couldn't see it as a blessing, even though the Lord kept telling me I'd be better off once it happened. I didn't believe Him; I argued with Him. I told Him what would really be better was if He would just do something about my bad circumstances. He did, of course. Only, when I wanted Him to fix them He just removed me from it. I'm sure the situation is still bad; but I do thank God I'm not in it.

And because something bad happened in my life, a whole world of good has come from it. I've been able to extend hospitality and ministry to others who had needs I could meet. My household and family have been increased exponentially and repeatedly. Because I had to stay put when I actually wanted to run away, I now have an awesome ministry among people who have been a great blessing in my life. And because of that particular ministry, I attended a particular conference and got on a certain elevator at just the right time. And my world has never been the same since.

You see, Joseph learned an important lesson too: What some meant for evil, God turned around for good! That is why I can enter the presence of God with thanksgiving, no matter what's happening to me. That's why I can praise Him in every circumstance and situation, because even when He hasn't done what I wanted Him to do, He is still God and worthy of all praise!

Thank you Lord for the difficult times that build patience, character and hope within me. I am growing, even though it's uncomfortable. I'm learning, and I'm glad for it.

Thank you Lord for the people you place in my life to knock off my rough edges. I may not like everybody, but I'm learning to love.

Thank you Lord for the promise of better things yet to come; I know your words are faithful and true, and sooner or later, everything is gonna be alright!

Thankful, Day Ninety-Two

2011-03-28T13:19:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

What does a shepherd to for his sheep? I think David answers the question best in that well-known and best loved of all his songs, the 23rd Psalm.

The Lord provides for my every need, so that I want for nothing.

The Lord makes me lie down and rest from my labors.

The Lord leads me where I shall know peace and tranquility.

The Lord restores everything that is spent, lost, broken, or stolen in my life.

The Lord leads me in His path and shows me His ways.

The Lord is with me, even in the hardest an darkest times of life.

The Lord comforts and defends me.

The Lord blesses me abundantly while my enemies are forced to watch.

The Lord soothes and heals with His gentle touch and His precious anointing.

The Lord fills my life to overflowing with every good thing.

The Lord sees to it that goodness and mercy will be mine as long as I live.

The Lord has prepared a place for me in His presence forever.

I'm so glad I belong to God, that I am "His people" and "the sheep of His pasture."

Thank you Lord for your goodness in ministering to my heart, my soul and my mind. You have touched me and transformed my innermost being, changing me to be more like you. You have forgiven, forgotten, redeemed, healed and delivered. You encourage and strengthen through the indwelling presence of Your Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for that!

Thank you Lord for your goodness in ministering to my body and its needs. You have provided daily bread. You have provided through your generous and limitless supply everything that I need for life and for living, and have seen to it that I have no lack. I may not be rich in houses or lands, but you have supplied all of my need according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Thank you Lord for that!

Thank you Lord for your goodness in ministering to my desires through your great and precious promises, through your faithfulness to fulfill, finish and complete everything that you have started in my life. I am thankful for what has happened thus far, I rejoice in what is happening now, and I look forward with great anticipation to what is going to happen in my life because of you. Thank you Lord for that!

Thankful, Day Ninety-One

2011-03-27T13:14:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

From before the foundation of the world, He knew me and called me by name. Before I was ever born, all my days were recorded in the books of heaven. When I was yet unformed, a cluster of cells in the womb of my mother, He was intimately acquainted with my form and substance. He fashioned me with His hand according to His will, plan and purpose, having predestined me through His omniscient foreknowledge and His omnipotent power to fulfill His good pleasure through my life.

Some, the Bible says, are made for honor, and some for dishonor. Some are made to demonstrate the limitless love of the Lord, and others His awesome power. Some are created for good works in Christ, some for the day of judgment. And God is sovereign in all of those things. So where does my choice lie? What say do I have in all these matters? And the truth is, I have the choice, and I have a say. I am not an automaton, a preprogrammed piece of flesh predestined to goodness or badness, heaven or hell. I still have self-determination. I can choose to honor God with my life, or dishonor Him. I can choose to be the object of His love, or the subject of His wrath. I can choose to do good works, or perform badly. And yet, God already knows which it's going to be.

Still, I am glad God has made me, and not me myself. I can only imagine what kind of proud and haughty tyrant I might be as a self-made man, responsible for my own exaltation to master of all I survey, or for my fall into the slum gutters of a sin-filled life. I am who I am, and what I am, by the grace of God. It is the grace of God that keeps me from being exalted above measure, and it is the grace of God that keeps me from falling from His sight. It is God's grace that has shaped and fashioned and formed me--and His magnificent amazing grace that continues to do so.

I'm thankful today that God made me, placed within my innermost being the ability to become everything that I can be in Christ Jesus.

I'm thankful today that God gave me the choice, that the options are clear, and that He continually sets before me life and death, and urges me to choose life.

I'm thankful today that God offers His grace to me, so that when I make a good choice, I can live in the blessed rewards of taking what is right. And so that when I make a poor choice, His grace is sufficient to see me through, or deliver me out, of my self-made trouble.

Thank you Lord, for Your awesome sovereignty and your grace.

Thankful, Day Ninety

2011-03-26T12:53:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Do you ever have to remind yourself that you're not God? Or at the very least, that you're not God's chief, right-hand adviser and counselor? This morning in prayer, as I was petitioning God and making my requests known to Him, I caught myself telling--yes, telling--God what He needed to do. I actually said, "God , just _____________________." What I actually said is none of your business, but can you fill in the blank with anything you've ever told God to do.

And as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I was like, "Casey, who do you think you are? Where do you get off telling God what to do?" I immediately repented, of course. That's what you do when you step out of line. And I then took a moment to rephrase. Rather than telling God what He needed to do, I simply asked God to do what needed to be done. I didn't give Him specific instructions; I simply presented my need and asked Him to take care of it. And I'm sure He will, in His own time and in His own way. And then I started asking God for patience to wait for the answer.

To tell you the truth, I'm really glad I'm not God. I'd have wiped everybody out a long time ago, and THEN rested. And I'm usually glad God doesn't listen to me when I am presumptuous enough to tell Him what to do. Because I know that my ways are not His ways, and my thoughts aren't always the same as His. He sees the big picture, I see a tiny puzzle piece without the assistance of the box. He knows everything, and compared to Him I know next to nothing. And He can do immeasurably more than all I ask or think, and do it in an instant when I thought it would take eternity--if it could even be done.

I'm glad that He is God, that the LORD YHWH is God, and not some of these other fictions and figments and fables. When I read about the god or gods of other religions, who require so much and offer so little, who demand that I earn my own salvation with what I can give them, or that I pay for my own sins, I am so thankful that my God is the real God, the only God, the One True God. And that He is gracious and merciful, abounding in compassion, overflowing with love, longsuffering and always forgiving, and that He is mighty and able to save!

Thank you God for your patience with me, your longsuffering, even your compassionate and benevolent understanding. I'm only human, after all, made from the dust and going back to it. Lord please suffer a little longer with my ignorance and occasional stupidity, and help me to do what I'm supposed to do, rather than telling you what to do.

Thank you God for your love and goodwill, that you have my best interests at heart and that you are working all things out for my good. You work all things according to the counsel of your will; you can do everything, and none of your purposes are withheld from you. So please help me to get out of the way, stand back, and watch you do what you do best.

Thank you God for your plan and purpose for my life, which you continue to accomplish and fulfill as I continue to submit, surrender and rely upon you. You are my trust, my hope, my confidence. You have my faith Lord God, and I shall not be moved.

Thankful, Day Eighty-Nine

2011-03-25T19:05:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

As a friend of mine likes to remind me, there is a song for everything. Often in conversation, I have been known to sing a note or two with words that fit the repartee. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's meaningful. I'm sure sometimes it's just flat out annoying, which is probably when I think it's the funniest.

3000 years ago, someone started collecting songs, adding to them through the centuries until they arrived at the volume we call the Psalms, sometimes mistakenly called the Psalms of David. Of the 150 Psalms recorded in our Bible, only 75 were actually written by David. Nevertheless, someone saw in these Psalms a song for every situation in life, every circumstance, every spiritual experience, every emotional state. These songs take us through the ups, downs and arounds that we all go through, and give us the light of God and the hope of glory for every day of our lives.

I woke up this morning to a dream that has recurring elements. It was a dream about exercises in frustration and futility, a vision of me trying to get somewhere and accomplish something, and knowing how I ought to be able to get there, but finding myself blocked and befuddled at every turn. Nothing I did worked out right. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how fast I went, no matter who I enlisted to help me, I could not reach my goal. And then I woke up, and the Lord spoke very gently to me, and I began to pray.

And then there was a song. And as I began to sing my song, the presence of the Lord seemed to fill my being. I could truly feel Him with me as I intoned His praises and harmonized my faith in Him. And I'm pretty certain He enjoyed my singing much more than any whining or complaining I could have done. So I think it's good that we approach God with a mouth of praise and a heart of worship. It just sets the tone for everything else He is going to do, and while I'm not certain that the song makes a difference with God, I know it makes a difference in me.

I'm thankful today for the beautiful Colorado sky, the mountains and the wind in the pines. This spring weather is unpredictably awesome, and I'm beginning to find some much needed rest in the Lord. I'm really glad I came.

I'm thankful today for the fellowship I share with the people I love, whether it be in person or on the phone. When people are of one mind, one heart, and one precious faith, there is no end to the good times they can share, and I'm taking all the shared times I can get.

I'm thankful today for the provision of the Lord, who has demonstrated in several ways today just how well He knows my need and how much He cares about meeting it.

Thank you Lord for you blessings on me!

Thankful, Day Eighty-Eight

2011-03-24T23:11:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD, He is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Do we really know and understand what it means to be a servant, to serve a master, to serve in obedience and compliance to one person's will and demand? In our 21st Century American culture, I think we have very little concept of true service. We have jobs; we work for wages. And if we don't like the work, or we don't like the wages, we quit and go find something else to do. Or we do nothing at all because we can't find something that we like or enjoy or that suits us. We change careers all the time, switch jobs, make moves. But do we really understand serving someone else?

Working for someone is a whole lot different than serving someone. Have you ever thought about that? In a public business, there are bosses and employees. But in private homes, there are servants. Butlers, cooks, nannies, maids, valets, secretaries, gardeners, chauffeurs--I'm not rich, I'm just guessing according to what I've read or seen on TV. Now, it is generally true in this country that those people who work in those roles do so of their own free-will, for fair wages, and what they do is acceptable to them. If it means mopping floors, scrubbing toilets, ironing shirts, changing diapers, dusting tables, picking up dirty underwear, then those are the jobs they knew would be required of them, and that they would be paid according to what they agreed upon. I've never talked to anyone with a household staff, but I wonder if they really complain about how hard it is to find "good help".

And then I wonder if God ever has the same thoughts about us. Does He ever muse within the Trinity, I wish we could just get some good Christians working for us down there. We could really do something if we got good help. Do you think the angels ever complain about us? God, why do you put up with that lazy, careless, uncommitted, wavering, backsliding, stupid bunch of creatures?

You see, we are in the service of the Lord whether we realize that or not. When He saved us, He made us His own. He paid a high price for our redemption, and now we are not our own. We have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He gave all the riches of heaven that we might share in an inheritance that is not ours by birthright, but rather ours by His choosing. He wanted to bless us with everything He had to give. In return, He just asks that we serve Him.

So how are we doing? Are we willing to do anything He asks, go anywhere He sends, say anything He instructs? Are we willing to wash the dirty feet of others and minister to their needs? Are we willing to love and forgive, even when we are unloved and hated? Are we willing to lay everything down and follow the leading of the Lord, even if it means leaving everything behind? Are we willing to serve the Lord? And are we willing to do it with gladness?

I'm asking all these questions, but I'm also the one who will provide my answer.

And the answer is: I hope so.

I'm thankful Lord for the call into your service. You could have chosen anybody else; maybe you could have called someone better than me. But I'm glad it was me! I'm happy to be in your service, and not in the service of a cruel and hateful taskmaster who is only interested in what he can get for how little he gives back. You, on the other hand, have given me everything you have. So it's only reasonable that I serve you with all that I have.

I'm thankful Lord for the opportunity to be in your service. You have opened doors and set before me straight paths to follow. You have led me to people in need and let me minister to them on your behalf. And there is no greater joy, no greater gladness I have ever experienced than when I have touched someone with the same love with which you have touched me.

I'm thankful Lord for the rewards of being in your service. I know some people are looking for payment now, but I've read the promises in your Word, and I know that whatever I get down here, from you or from anybody else for services I have rendered, are nothing compared to the treasures awaiting me in eternity. All I have to do is be faithful to you.

And that is what I intend to do.

Thankful, Day Eighty-Seven

2011-03-22T13:44:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I was driving down the road the other day, listening to some music that apparently does me some good but that the modern church has deemed antiquated and left behind. With the music blaring through my little truck and me singing at the top of my lungs, I got this feeling all over me. From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, I wanted to have a little shoutdown. I tried just shouting HALLELUJAH in the car, but that's not a shoutdown. Honestly, I wanted to pull the truck onto the shoulder the highway, get out and start a Jericho march around it!

What's a Jericho march? I'm so glad you asked! When I was a little boy, we attended this little Assembly of God in a little town in Northwest Texas. I don't actually remember this, but I've heard the story so many times, it was like I was there. Granny Harris came into church on two canes, with a man on either side of her, helping her walk. She came up the porch, into the church, down the aisle, and sat behind my newly-saved parents. She had the long dress and a tight white bun, the very picture of the typical Old-Time Pentecostal mother. And when the Holy Ghost hit her, she leaped to her feet with both canes in the air, eyes blazing, whooping and hollerin', and as she danced into the aisle she shouted, "Jericho March!" And away they went. And by they I mean practically everybody, with Granny Harris leading the parade. They threw their hands in the air, dancing and shouting and marching around the inside walls of the church, and that's a Jericho March.

So there I was in my truck, wishing I could have one, and wondering why I didn't. I don't care what people think about me, so it wasn't embarrassment. I'm not ashamed of being happy for Jesus. I'm not even reserved in my personality. But I didn't pull the truck over. Instead I started tapping my feet and jumping up and down in the cab of the truck while I played that song over and over and over again. It was okay...but I gotta tell you, next time I think I'll pull over. And if I end up falling in the ditch under the power of the Holy Ghost, shouting and speaking in tongues, I guess that's okay. Someone might stop to see if I'm okay, but that's life.

We need to get our shout back. We need to get it in our mouths, but it needs to be in our hearts. We serve a great and mighty God, who is infinitely good and wonderful and marvelous and glorious. He has saved us, filled us with His Spirit, called us by name, redeemed our lives from destruction, filled our mouths with every good thing. He gives good and perfect gifts, enriching us with every spiritual blessing, doing immeasurably more than all we ask or think. He is worthy of our praise, and when we get ahold of that deep down inside, there is nothing it can do but come out!

So let's shout!

I'm thankful today that I have Jesus in my life. I do know what I'd be without Him, and I'm glad I've never had to be. Things are tough enough with an immortal all-powerful indestructible big brother on my side. I'm glad I don't have to try this without him.

I'm thankful today that I can feel His presence, even sitting right here at this table in Starbucks. He is with me wherever I go, which isn't always the most comfortable thought. But it is comforting to know that He doesn't leave me, nor does he forsake me, and that He can make His presence felt and known wherever I go.

I'm thankful today that He speaks, and if I'm listening I can hear what He's saying, telling me what to do, giving me instruction and wisdom and counsel and help. I'm so glad I can hear His voice, because I really really really need His input.

Thank you Lord, for letting me have you, and for having me.

Thankful, Day Eighty-Six

2011-03-21T13:47:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

What does this Psalm say about God?

First, that He is the LORD--which is the English translation of God's covenant-keeping name to the Hebrews. He is the one who is, I AM THAT I AM, everything we need Him to be whenever we need Him to be it.

Secondly, He is God. He is the highest of the high, the supreme of the supremes, greatest of the great. He is the one who is Almighty, most holy, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. And He is the one in control of all things.

He is our shepherd, who takes care of us and every possible way. He is provider, defender, protector, and guide.

He is good, He is merciful, and He is truth.

Thank you God, that you are all that I need, and everything I need you to be.

Thank you God, that you are in control, and that you are working all things according to your will.

Thank you God that you are taking care of me in every possible way.

Thankful, Day Eighty-Five

2011-03-19T23:32:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

How many times have I said it? It's easy to be thankful and praise the Lord when everything is great and going my way. When I'm living on the mountain underneath the cloudless sky, when I'm drinking from the fountain that never shall run dry, when I'm feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply, that's when it's easy to throw my hands up and shout and dance about. In fact, just about anybody can do that. But what happens when the storms cloud out the sunshine, when the well dries up, when the manna ceases? What happens when you're down in the valley, in the cold and dark of night, with killers and thieves hiding in the shadows to steal, kill and destroy? What happens when you suffer grief and trial? What happens when you go through trials and tribulation? What happens when the laughter has faded and you're feasting on tears and sorrow and suffering and pain? Can we still praise God then? Moreover, can we still be thankful?

When Job's world came crashing down around him, he fell to the ground and worshiped the Lord saying, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

When David had lost it all and his closest friends wanted to kill him, he encouraged himself in the Lord.

When Jehoshaphat's enemies came against Jerusalem, he led the choir in a song of praise.

When Jesus begged for escape, he still prayed, "Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."

When Paul and Silas were in prison, beaten and bound and lying in their own blood and filth with the rats and the roaches crawling all over them, still they praised the Lord.

And what happened? Job got it all back, twice over, and continued to praise the Lord. David pursued, overtook, and recovered all. Jehoshaphat's song sounded like the marching of a might army and put his enemies to confusion and flight. Jesus submission resulted in the greatest triumph of all and the salvation of mankind. Paul's shackles fell off, the prison doors fell from their hinges, and a jailer and his whole household were saved.

We must remember to keep shouting our joyful thanks to the Lord, in good times and in bad, in hard times and in easy, in blessed times and in difficult, when everything goes our way, and when nothing does. We must remember to keep shouting our joyful thanks to the Lord in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, when everyone is with us, and when all have forsaken us. We must remember to keep shouting our joyful thanks to the Lord when the night is dark, when the storm is fierce, when the battle is long, and we are almost overwhelmed. That's when we fix our eyes upon Jesus, and having done everything to stand, stand therefore.

I shout my thanks and praise to God tonight because He has saved me and called me for His own purpose, and He will see me through to the intended end.

I shout my thanks and praise to God tonight because He has always done me right and good, and He will continue to do so.

I shout my thanks and praise to God tonight because He has promised good to me, and His word has secured my hope. What He has promised, that will He also do, even when it doesn't look like He will.

So thank you, Lord. I know it's not as bad as it looks; in fact, I know it's a whole lot better. But I'm going to thank you, no matter what. For you deserve the glory and the honor and the praise for all that you've done, and simply for who you are!

Thankful, Day Eighty-Four

2011-03-18T11:30:00.002-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Know that the LORD, He is God.

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

If I had blogged every day, my 100 days would be over. Not that I want it to be, I'm just saying, in the process of this exercise in thanks, I've missed a few day posting something. It has become such a part of my everyday life that everywhere I go people are asking me, "Are you still thankful?" Some even miss the daily blog and say, "Hey, how come you haven't blogged today? Or yesterday? Or even the day before?" The truth is, if I don't sit down and do it first thing in my day, I may not find the time later to do it. But that's true of so many other important things in our lives. If we don't find the time early in our day to pray, or worship the Lord, or read our Bible, or give thanks...we might not find the time later.

I have not blogged every day for 100 days; nevertheless, I have found myself giving thanks every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I may not always right it down, but I have discovered a new attitude toward God, toward life, toward prayer. Giving thanks daily like this has given me a different perspective; it has truly changed some things in me. It has repaired my faith, restored my hope, and refilled my life with love toward God that I didn't know I was lacking. It has made me aware of the riches that God has given me, the good things He has filled my life with. And for this reason, I give thanks.

I'm thankful today for the breath in my nostrils, even though those nostrils are clogged with springtime. I've never had springtime allergies before, and that's not what I'm calling them now. But I am so thankful that I woke up this morning, able to get out of bed, able to move and walk and talk and hear and see and touch and taste and feel and smell...and breathe.

I'm thankful today for the house I call home, and the family God keeps filling it with. Through the years, I've had lots of people stay with me, some longer than others. I've often wondered why--the real reason why--I bought this house, why the Lord wouldn't let me sell it when I could have, and why it hasn't sold yet. I can't help but think it was because He knew there were going to be people who needed to stay in one of my four bedrooms. I have a family again...as one of them said the other day: the pastor, the Persian, the produce clerk, the post-partum woman, and the poopy-diapered baby (all P's, notice). There's only one thing that would make my family more complete, but thank God He's promised good to me!

I'm thankful today for belonging to God, for being His adopted son, His chosen servant, His growing saint. I'm thankful that He saved me and put His Spirit in me, that He called my name and gave me a new one! And He never lets go; He never gives up; He never forsakes nor forgets, and He always forgives. He is love and mercy and grace and truth. His power is at work in me, perfecting, changing, helping, transforming. And I just feel like something good is about to happen...

Thank you Lord, for your blessings...and your promises.

Thankful, Day Eighty-Three

2011-03-15T12:12:00.003-05:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

One thing I know for sure: God is good. He is infinitely good. He is immeasurably good. He is always good. Everything He does is good; everything He says is good. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and He knows how to give good gifts to His children. His love is good, His power is good, His mercy is good, His promises are good. And if you don't know that, or don't believe that, then taste and see that the Lord is good! Let down your guard, soften your heart, give Him a chance...and He will definitely prove to you that He is very good.

When He created the world, He declared it good. When He created mankind, He declared that it was very good...with only one thing missing, which He quickly remedied. Therefore the Bible says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." The disobedience of Adam and Eve was not good, but God continued to be good to them. Even as humanity spun out of control in sin, He remained good, for He cannot does not change. And He always stood with arms open wide for people to come to Him and experience His goodness.

And I'll never forget the words of this verse of an old familiar song, a verse that is not often included in hymnbooks but which has been resurrected by a current popular song writer: "The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures." It's one of John Newton's original verse to Amazing Grace.

I need His grace every morning, and I have it every morning because the Lord is always good, evening, noon, and every morning!

I'm thankful today for new friends, one of which I made yesterday. I look forward to future fellowship and getting better acquainted on the basis of our common love for Jesus Christ.

I'm thankful today for old friends, like the ones who called yesterday who said, "We're driving two hours one way (after driving 500 miles this way) just to see you." What a happy reunion that was, and time of remembrance and renewal.

I'm thankful today for best friends. I suppose it is rare enough to find one you can take into your life; I've been blessed with so many wonderful friends, some closer than others. And as years pass, relationships change. But I'm thankful for those few, and even that one very special friend who draws a little closer every day.

If a man's wealth is measured by his friends, I am a rich man indeed.

Thankful, Day Eighty-Two

2011-03-12T11:24:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Covenant is a concept lost on our Western culture, but in the ancient Middle East, it was a common practice of powerful significance. When two men encountered each other and found friendship, it often led to covenant. The two would sit down together and write up an agreement, a treaty if you will, concerning the responsibilities of this relationship that was more than simple friendship. They would sacrifice an animal (or animals), divide the carcasses, and then walk around each other in a figure-eight through the blood. They would exchange coats to signify the sharing of all things; what's mine is yours, and what's yours is min. They would trade swords in a mutual defense pact; as I heard one preacher put it, it basically said, "If someone stabs you in the back, you won't have to turn around to see if it's me." They took each others belts to indicate strength and help offered to the other in times of need. Finally, they would put a knife blade to their own palms, bind their hands together in a commingling of blood, and take each other's names as part of their own. They followed that with a shared feast, and covenant was done. It was the gravest of sins against your new partner to break covenant.

This what God did with Abram in the Bible. Only when God set it up, he understood the weaknesses inherent in humanity. He knew full well that Abram could offer Him nothing that He needed, and in all likelihood would at times fail in holding up his end of the bargain. So God did something unique; He decided that He Himself would uphold both ends of the covenant. It wouldn't be dependent on what Abram could say or do or give; it would all have to do with the faithfulness of God. So he thumped Abram in the head to keep him out of the blood, and while Abram slept, God appeared as a smoking furnace and a burning torch, passed both ways between the sacrifices, and uttered His name--the covenant name of YHWH--as the highest oath He could take. Then He changed the names of Abram and his wife Sarai. Some have pointed out that the Bible calls Him YHWH or Lord up to this point in Genesis, but He gave one H to make Abraham, one H to make Sarah, and afterward was known as the God of Abraham (and later Isaac and Jacob, because the covenant extended to them and their descendants forever).

To this day, God has never let down His end of the covenant with Abraham and Abraham's children. There is still an Israeli people, in spite of being persecuted, enslaved, scattered, and without a homeland for 2000 years. And they still follow the covenants of God made with their ancestors; they still practice covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They still follow the Law of Moses, another covenant God made with their people. And they still expect God to honor His covenant, which He always has. And He always will.

But God has also made a new covenant that is not exclusive to the physical descendants of Abraham. He has extended it to include the spiritual descendants of Abraham, those who would live their lives in faith toward God as Abraham did. Like Abraham, when we believe God, it is accounted to us for righteousness. And the covenant was sealed through the death of Jesus Christ, who became our personal covenant keeper just as God became Abraham's. Christ has given us His name, His provision, His protection, His power...everything we need is provided in covenant with Him.

I'm thankful to be in covenant with Christ today.

I'm thankful for His provision, His protection, His power that is at work within me doing immeasurably more than all I ask or think.

I'm thankful for the Name that is above every name, the Name by which I have been saved, and the Name upon which I can call anytime I want and know that He will answer me, and that I will in no way be put to shame.

I'm thankful for a covenant-keeping God, who is always faithful, always merciful, and always good. Even when I am faithless, He remains faithful to me, for He cannot deny Himself.

Thank you God, for Your covenant with me.

Thankful, Day Eighty-One

2011-03-10T11:04:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

YHWH. Yahweh. Jehovah. Adonai. Elohim. El Shaddai. El Elyon. The LORD my God. Provider. Healer. Deliverer. Shelter. Comforter. Strong Tower. Almighty. Most Holy. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace. King of kings. Lord of lords. King of righteousness. Creator. Redeemer. Sustainer. Friend. Shield and buckler. Strength. Counselor. Shepherd. Jesus.

Call Him whatever name you want to, as long as you understand He is the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. And know that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, and will in no way be put to shame!

Thank you God, that when I call, you always hear. My prayers never fall on deaf ears.

Thank you God, that you always answer. The answer may not be what I want it to be, but it is always right and good.

Thank you God, that when I am in need, you always act. You are everything I need you to be every time I need you to be that.

Thankful, Day Eighty

2011-03-09T11:47:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Some people don't like the idea of serving the God of the Bible because they see certain examples in the Bible of God's anger and think, "How could a good God do such bad stuff? I want a loving God who never gets mad at me." What they don't understand is that the Judeo-Christian God is the only loving God there is.

He is the God of the universe, and He makes the rules. Every day, God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, fellowshiping with them face to face as friends. And in the beginning, there was only one rule: Don't eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you die. Keep in mind that God didn't kill Adam and Eve for eating the fruit, but the knowledge of sin combined with their own disobedience to one simple rule led to their own spiritual deaths and their eventual death.

Following the expulsion from the garden, the next sin we get introduced to is pride, then anger and bitterness, which led to the first murder. The Bible doesn't tell us how Cain got his wife, but it might be safe to assume he knocked her in the head and kidnapped her, because no one wanted anything to do with Cain after he killed Abel. For 1500 years, there were no rules, no laws, and apparently no consequences. And humanity, left to itself, grew increasingly evil, consorted with demons, and became violently wicked. God didn't arbitrarily destroy humanity with the flood; it was an act of mercy, preserving the one family that had not been tainted and totally corrupted by the sins invented in the world so that the human race would live on.

After the flood, there was only one hard-and-fast rule: Don't kill each other. If you break that rule, you die. Does anyone really have a problem with that one?

Flash-forward a thousand years. God chooses a small band of nomadic wanderers to bring about His salvation plan for the earth. He nurtures the family until it has grown to a company of six hundred thousand men plus women and children, leads them into the desert for their own protection, and there gives them ten laws to follow, laws inscribed in stone. And what were they? They weren't just silly rules meant to interfere in peoples' lives. They were good and decent laws for living in community with both God and man. Rules like: I'm the only God; serve me. Don't make images of me; I can't be contained in a picture or a statue. Don't talk bad about me. Give me a day of worship, which will also be a day of rest for yourselves. Obey your parents and treat them right. Don't steal. Don't kill. Don't have sex with your neighbor's wife. Don't lie about other people. And don't let negative emotions like anger, lust, and greed fill your heart.

And if you break those rules, you die. But those rules only applied to those living in that particular nation. The Israelites didn't go around killing everyone who lied to them or stole from them. They only imposed the law on those who were supposed to be living under it. And just in case you're going to ask about all those women and children that were slaughtered when Israel invaded Palestine...those were some evil and awful people groups, thoroughly corrupted by wickedness and demons just like those from before the flood. They were people who roamed the streets of their cities looking for victims to rape and abuse. They sacrificed their own children in the fiery bellies of false gods to ensure a good harvest. They practiced all kinds of sexual immorality and deviancy without restraint, which always leads to the breakdown of the family first, and then the community. These were not good people who died; these were exceedingly bad people.

Under the ten commandments, if you sin, you die. But then Jesus came. The unique and only begotten Son of God arrived on the scene two thousand years ago, spent thirty years in obscurity, spent the next four years doing nothing but good and preaching righteousness and forgiveness, and then suffered a cruel execution at the hands of political and religious maniacs who were threatened by the kingdom He preached--a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy. And in His death, Jesus accepted all the punishment for all the sins of all the people everywhere. The wages of sin is still death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Now, you don't have to die for the wrong that you've done. You can get forgiveness and go to heaven and be in relationships with God forever.

And now we are back at the beginning with only one rule: Believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation. But if you don't, you die. And still we have a problem with the simplicity of God.

Every religion in the world offers a god, or gods, or gods and goddesses, or sometimes outright demons for people to serve, and they are religions that make demands on the people. If you do enough right things, and give enough money, and have enough good thoughts...then you will earn whatever kind of salvation is being offered and achieve whatever higher state is promised. I'm glad I serve a good and loving God who took it upon Himself to provide for my redemption. What could be better than that?

I'm thankful to be serving a God who provided salvation as a free gift to anyone who would receive it, available to anyone regardless of age, gender, status, or national origin. I know myself, and I cannot do enough good stuff to make up for the bad stuff and somehow earn salvation for myself. Thank you Jesus for doing what you did, for dying so that I wouldn't have to.

I'm thankful to be serving a God who, even in judgment, remembers mercy. God doesn't want to destroy people. Before the flood, He gave the world 100 years of warning to get right, but they rejected. He gave Sodom and Gomorrah the witness of righteous Lot; they ignored it. He gave Egypt a chance through the ministry of Moses, but they hardened their hearts. He gave the world a chance through the good and holy law, not the one inscribed in stone, but the one written on tablets of flesh--our hearts. And still we close our eyes, plug our ears, turn our heads, and harden our hearts against our own conscience. And now He has given us Jesus. We have every chance in the world to embrace mercy (and I'm preaching again...); I'm glad that God wants to love me rather than destroy me.

I'm thankful to be serving a God who is patient and long-suffering, willing not that any should perish. He is slow to anger, abounding in love and mercy and grace. And I'm glad He suffers long with me.

Thankful, Day Seventy-Nine

2011-03-08T23:46:00.004-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Well, I seem to have missed a few days blogging. With good reason, I assure you. But I will also assure you that I continued to be thankful, even without blogging. This Thankful theme has really gotten into my spirit, and I'm thankful for that!

Last week I was thinking about the covenant Name of God, that which we know as Yahweh but which has also been brought into our language in the form of Jehovah. It is the YHWH breath of Hebrew, the I AM. And in our Bibles it has been rendered LORD. I shout to Him, and I'm glad to be serving Him. I'm glad to be able to enter His presence. But I am so very thankful that it is YHWH who is God, and not some of these others we've heard about.

I'm glad the God I know isn't like Zeus or one of the other ancient pagan deities, sneaking around deceiving and seducing women and leaving his half-breed offspring for us to deal with as heroes and tyrants.

I'm glad the God I know isn't like Molech, the fiery god of some of the ancient Moabites and other Canaanite peoples that required his followers to offer their own children as sacrifices in the fires of his iron belly.

I'm glad the God I know isn't like those gods of Japan that have to be bought off with money to keep them from cursing you.

I'm glad the God I know isn't like the Aztec and Mayan gods which constantly had to appeased with human sacrifice.

I'm glad the God I know isn't like Allah, calling for me to give my life in killing others so that I can have a better eternal life.

I'm glad the God I know is gracious and compassionate, rich in mercy and abounding in love. I'm glad the God I know is altogether lovely and infinitely good, great and greatly to be praised. I'm glad the God I know looks down on me with favor and enriches my life with many wonderful blessings. I'm glad the God I know didn't require me to give my own life to atone for my sins, or even the sins of others, but rather He came in the flesh and died for me! I'm glad the God I know can't be bribed or bought, but rather bestows His salvation freely to anyone who will accept it. I'm glad the God I know isn't silent, and is never asleep. I'm glad the God I know is truly omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He can do anything, and everything He does, He does so well! I'm glad He's a personal God, not vindictive or looking for ways to get me, but has done everything He can to help me.

That's the God I'm glad is God today, and not some other vicious, almost-human, home wrecking, life destroying sovereign. And I'm also glad that I'm not God; and that you aren't either. We would surely make the wrong decisions. But He never does.

God, I'm thankful for Your love today, which you poured out in our lives through your Holy Spirit and demonstrated so limitlessly through your own sacrifice of your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.

God, I'm thankful for Your constant forgiveness, and your mercies that are new every morning, because I need them both to make it through the day. I'm so glad that you made your forgiveness available to me whenever I am in need, whenever I call on you, whenever I confess my faults and failures...you are faithful and fair, and you do forgive.

God, I'm thankful for Your wonderful blessings that you continue to bestow upon me, which come in a variety of wonderful ways. I hope you know that I truly appreciate everything you have done to me, and everything you will continue to do!

Thankful, Day Seventy-Eight

2011-03-04T02:37:00.004-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

This day is more than over, but I could not close my eyes on it before I gave thanks.

Thank you Lord for speaking. I hope I have heard.

Thank you Lord for hearing. I'm trying to pray the right things.

Thank you Lord for acting on my behalf. I appreciate you doing what I cannot do myself.

Thankful, Day Seventy-Seven

2011-03-02T11:16:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I'm glad to be serving the Lord this morning, and not someone or something else.

Some people serve themselves, and live only for themselves. They do whatever they want to do and think themselves happy for it. Perhaps they are, perhaps they will be, for a while. They work for money to spend on their own appetites, trying to buy their pleasure, their satisfaction, their fulfillment. They climb the ladder of life with no regard for anything except self-exaltation. They accumulate accolades and possessions, earn degrees and reputations, cultivate an image by which they want to be known. They primp and groom and fuss and worry over a body that will one day be ravaged by time. But serving one's own self ends up as a very lonely prospect, because you have served nothing greater than yourself.

Some people serve other gods, false deities that cannot see nor hear, reach out or move. They worship imaginations at best, demons at worst, who never help nor aid. They put their trust in gods that must be bribed or bought off, who demand more and more while giving less than nothing. Every religion in the world save one is about banging your head against the wall of the world trying to achieve some standard of personal goodness in order to please your concept of god so that he will in turn let you have whatever it is that your trying to earn.

Others serve the devil, selling their souls for what can never satisfy. They give in to temptation and enticement, to a taste of bread, a sense of pride, or the draw of lust and greed. They listen to the voices inside their heads, and are driven mad by them. Their minds are darkened, their souls tortured, the crazed confusion of having the devil in control a constant chaotic torment.

And in the end, all of these offer only death...and after that? Someone has pointed out that your headstone contains two dates with a dash in between--the date of your birth, the date of your death, and the life you lived from the first to the last. How you spend your dash will determine your fate and eternal destiny; did you serve the only true God who can save you from yourself, the lies of the world, and the devil? Or did you choose to go another way?

The Bible says there is a way that seems right unto man, but its way is the way of death.

The Bible says we need to find the way of God, and walk in it.

The Bible says there is a straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life; but a broad path that leads to destruction.

The Bible says it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment.

And the thing that determines where we stand on that day, and in what condition, is not what we've done, but what we believed--Whom we served. There is only one way to get to God, and that is through Jesus Christ. No one comes to the Father except through Him; and there is no other name given under heaven by which we can be saved.

Other people can make the choice to serve whatever; I am glad to be serving the LORD this morning!

Thank you Lord for faith today, for the ability to believe, and reason to trust. You've never let me down or led me astray; I know you won't start today.

Thank you Lord for hope today, for the power to look beyond what we see and hear in the present to what you have promised for our future. Many are your great and precious promises, O Lord, and I believe every one of them.

Thank you Lord for love today, love that casts out all fear; love that covers a multitude of sin; and love that never, ever fails. When we love you and love each other, the world is right. And that is what I do this morning.

Thank you Lord, for faith, hope and love, for these three remain. But the greatest of these is love.

Thankful, Day Seventy-Six

2011-03-01T11:10:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I'm shouting to the LORD this morning...not some impersonal deity far removed from my situation, but a personal savior who is intimately involved in my life. He looks down upon me with eyes of compassion and loves me out of a limitless heart. He speaks to me with the voice of a Father, and touches me with His gentle hands. He works within me to make me a better man, a man in His own image and likeness, and He works around me to make all things good. He knows my name, He has numbered my days, He's got all my words written down in His books. He hears my thoughts, knows my heart, listens to my prayers, and works through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside me to accomplish His purposes for my life.

Now those are reasons to shout, right there!

Today, I'm thankful because God won't leave me alone. He's personally involved and invested in my life, and He's not about to leave me to my own devices. He keeps calling me to Him, drawing me closer so that He can reveal more of Himself to me. He never leaves, nor forsakes. He never abandons me, nor goes away. He is with me, He is in me, and He is for me.

I'm thankful because God knows everything I have need of, and He will provide. He supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He gives me everything I need for life and for godliness. He's never let me down, never let me go under, and He's not about to start now.

I'm thankful because God knows everything about me, and He loves me in spite of it. Sometimes I'm lovable, but other times I'm certain I am unlovely, unloving, and unlovable by human standards. But God loves me anyway. He loves me just as I am; but He loves me too much to leave me that way.

Thankful, Day Seventy-Five

2011-02-28T12:20:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the the LORD is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I looked up the word lord in the original language, expecting to find one meaning and found something totally different. This is what I get for memorizing words and not paying closer attention to things like punctuation and capital letters. So now, in the closing days of this little exercise in thanksgiving, I've discovered something new and life-impacting in this Psalm which I have journaled for 75 days.

To the ancient Jews, God's personal, covenant-keeping name was YHWH. When said aloud it sounded more like a breath than a word. When written it is called the Tetragrammation, and the actual pronunciation is uncertain. Some suggest the most accurate pronunciation is Yahweh. At its heart is the Hebrew root hayah which means "to be" or "to exist", which is what God said to Moses out of the Burning Bush. I AM that I AM is one way of saying "I exist, and bring all things into existence". It is about the eternal and infinite nature of God. He went on to say, I AM that I AM, YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. This was the first time He actually designated His name. During the intertestamental period, those four centuries between the prophetic ministries of Malachi and John the Baptist, it became customary to refer to the Divine as simply God--to emphasize His singularity as deity, and the truly religious revered the name so much that they began using substitutions such as adonai meaning lord or HaShem meaning The Name. When the Masoretes worked to reproduce the original Hebrew Bible, they added vowel points to the consonantal language, using the vowels from adonai and combining them with YHWH to produce something a little more recognizable to us: YaHoWaH, or Jehovah. And when the translators of King James brought it into English, they used the accepted meanings of both YHWH and adonai and rendered it LORD; and note the capitalization of the letters as opposed to Lord.

So when the Psalmist says, Make a joyful shout to the LORD or Know that the LORD, He is God, he is actually invoking the proper personal powerful name of the supreme and sovereign LORD of all. He is invoking the name of YHWH.

Our God is not some impersonal, unknowable, unreachable overlord sitting on some far-off circle of never-never land. He is a personal God with a personal name. He wants to be known, and He has made Himself both accessible and attainalbe. He wants us to reach Him. So the next time we see the word LORD in the Bible, remember that it is actually His covenant-keeping name that we are reading, the name by which He swore and made promises, because He could swear by nothing higher than Himself. It's not just an impersonal title, it is His very identity and existence. He is YHWH, the LORD, the eternally existent Godhead, who was, who is and who is to come, the Almighty, everlasting, all powerful, supreme of supremes! That's the God that we know and serve. That's the God that I thank today.

Thank you LORD for Your powerful presence in church yesterday, for the ministry of Your Word and Your Spirit in the hearts and lives of Your people.

Thank you LORD for Your answers to our prayers, for moving and working on our behalf, and for Your assurances that You are doing all things well for our good and Your glory.

Thank you LORD for Your existence and personal interaction in my life. I love you so much.

Thankful, Day Seventy-Four

2011-02-26T11:51:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

It's a brand new day, and my God is on the throne! I don't mean to say that I have sole ownership of Him, but rather that I have a personal God who is infinitely concerned with the intimate details of my life. He orders my steps, He has numbered my days, He has blessed me with every spiritual blessing, forgiven my sins, healed my diseases, delivered me from the hands of my enemies, redeemed my life from destruction, and filled my mouth with every good thing! My face is engraved in the palm of His hand, my name is known to Him, my prayers are ever before Him, and He both hears and answers my prayers. No matter what this day brings, this is a good day to be serving the Lord, because He is a good God!

Thank you Lord for the good things you're giving me right now; they are good indeed.

Thank you Lord for the wonderful ways in which you are turning me right now; it is a blessing to walk in them.

Thank you Lord for hearing my prayers, and for answering my prayers; You really know how to do things right.

Thankful, Day Seventy-Three

2011-02-25T13:48:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Have you ever thought, What do I have to be thankful for? Or am I the only one? I mean, have you ever looked around, taken inventory, and felt like someone else got all the gold and you got the shaft? Have you ever truly wondered, God, why should I be thankful. Nothing good ever happens to me. If you've ever had those kinds of thoughts and feelings, you are not alone. And I've got a feeling God might understand.

I love those heroes of faith mentioned in the great Hebrews 11 passage. But think about how life turned out for some of them.

Abel: Gee God, I did everything right, I offered the more excellent sacrifice, and you honored me in front of my brothers. And what did I get for it? A cracked skull and a shallow grave. Thanks alot.

Noah: Gee God, I did everything you told me to do. I built this big ol' boat, and loaded it full of animals, and for 100 years I preached your message of repentance to all my kinsman, and they still all drowned. And what did I get for it? Yeah, my family was saved from the flood, but all those days cooped up on the boat turned me to drinking, and my youngest kid has no respect for me. Thanks alot.

Abraham: Gee God, I followed you everywhere you sent, and even when I got off track down their in Egypt for a while, you were still with me. You made all these promises, and I do have a wonderful son who makes me laugh, but where's all this land you told me I was gonna own? The only title deed I have to my name is a grave plot in the cemetery at Hebron, and I'm soon to end up there. Thanks alot.

Isaac: Gee God, you let my wife conceive, but now I've got one son that has no regard for you, and another son who has no regard for me, and they usually act like they're going to kill each other. Thanks alot.

Jacob: Gee God, you blessed me and changed my name to something cooler than ConMan. But these four wives are driving me crazy, always fighting over whose bed I'm gonna sleep in, and my kids can't get along, and to top it all off, my favorite son, my heir, the one in whom I put all my confidence, got lost trying to find the sheep pen and ended up as lion scat. Thanks alot.

Joseph: Gee God, you told me I was gonna rule over all my brothers. I just didn't know it was going to mean spending time in a pit, in a slave caravan, in Potiphar's house with a brazen hussy after me all the time, and finally in prison when I stood by my principles. Thanks alot.

Moses: Gee God, I did everything you asked of me, even though I told you it wasn't gonna work. And now after 40 years of dragging my blessed assurance all over this desert with a couple million whining, complaining, ornery people, I've preached funerals for everyone I've ever known, my own family turned against me, and now I don't even get to go into the promised land. Thanks alot.

Now, I could be letting my technicolor imagination get the better of my Biblical interpretation, but how are things in your world? Do you ever ask yourself the question, "What do I have to be thankful for?"

My wife left me.

My kids hate me.

My dog bites me every time I try to pet him.

My neighbors despise me.

My brothers won't talk to me.

My church family ignores me.

My job just got eliminated.

My stocks just crashed.

My retirement account was embezzled by a gazillionaire.

My kid wrecked my new car.

My doctor just told me I have six months to live.

What in the world do I have to be thankful for???

People, I have the answer. You thank God anyway. You thank Him in the good times, and you thank Him in the bad times. You thank Him for the good things, and you thank Him for the bad things. You thank Him when you feel blessed, and you thank Him when you're feeling not so much. You thank God anyway!

My daddy used to sing the song:

Hallelujah anyhow!

Never, never let your troubles get you down!

When life's problems come your way

Hold your head up high and say

Hallelujah anyhow!

So thank God for the sunshine, and thank Him for the rain. Thank Him for the mountaintop, and thank Him for the valley. Thank Him for the straight path, and thank Him for the rough. Thank God for the gentle breeze, and thank Him for the storm. Thank Him when He's done something, and thank Him when you don't think He's done anything at all. Thank Him for what He's already done, what He's promised, what you know He's going to do. And if you can't do that, just thank God for Who He Is, for He is worthy!

Thank you God for the road that got me here. I wondered sometimes if you knew what you were doing, or if I did. Turns out, you knew the way the whole time.

Thank you God for the bad things that happened that you turned around for good. I wondered sometimes how it would all work out, but I always trusted when You said it would. And it turns out You knew what You were talking about.

Thank you God for the blessing of your presence, in bitter days and in sweet. I couldn't have made it without you, and I don't intend to start trying now. Your ways are better, Your thoughts are higher, and even thought I'm still learning...I do trust you.

Thankful, Day Seventy-Two

2011-02-24T15:01:00.000-06:00

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Is my life a blessing to the Lord? It's an interesting question to consider. After all, He's God. He doesn't need anything from me. I mean, not really. Heaven won't shutdown if I don't give in. My lack of support will not create a crisis situation on the throne. If I don't give my time, talents and treasures to God, the Kingdom will not go off the air. God is sovereign, and He is supreme. He is almighty. He doesn't need me. But He does want me.

So how can we be a blessing to the Lord?

We can honor Him with our words and our works. We can praise Him, and offer Him our worship. We can commit ourselves to obedience and sacrifice. We can follow where He leads, go where He sends, do what He bids us do. We can tell others how great God is, how wonderful, how glorious, how beautiful He is. We can testify about His goodness and His greatness. We can live a life of thanksgiving before Him, and continually lift Him up. We bless the Lord by making this life about Him rather than about us. As we decrease and allow Him to increase in our lives, we bless Him. As we surrender and submit to Him, we bless Him. As we lay our bodies and our lives on His altar again and again as living sacrifices, we bless Him.

And when we bless Him, we are blessed in return.

Thank you Father for your kindness toward me. Your gentleness has made me a gentle man; your tender mercies have taught me to be tender; your immeasurable love has shown me how to love unconditionally. Let my life be a reflection of you, let me bear fruit for the kingdom, manifesting the character of Christ in every area of my life. And help me to be a blessing to you.

Thank you Father for your power at work in me. It is your power that has saved me, that sanctifies me, that fills me and enables me to do what you have called me to do. Let me lead a life of power in your Spirit, operating in the power of your name, and doing all for the glory of your honor!

Thank you Father for your hand that is fulfilling your ultimate plan for me. You see all things, know all things, and have control over all things. My life is yielded to you, my destiny is in your hands, my future is ever before you, and you are working all things out for my good because I love you and I'm called according to your purpose. Let me know your will, your way, your purpose and pathway, and help me never to stray, but always stay the course until the end.

Thnakful, Day Seventy-One

2011-02-23T14:12:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Praise is such an important part of our relationship, and our relating to God. He is great, and greatly to be praised. He inhabits the praise of His people. He is worthy of all our praise. In fact, the Jews believe that this is the purpose for which Adam was created--to praise the Lord.

In ages past, long before the world existed as we know it, there was a beautiful cherub in heaven, an archangel high and exalted whose assignment it was to fly around the head of God and sing to His glory. He was adorned with jewels and equipped with amazing instrumentation to assist him in his magnification of God. Some say he even had charge over a third of the heavenly hosts, a division of worshipers. And his name was Lucifer, the light-bearer.

The Bible does not tell us what processes took place in the inner recesses of Lucifer's existence, except to say that pride crept in and turned his heart away from his responsibilities. He didn't want to fly around the head of God and sing God's praises forever and ever. He wanted a better job. He wanted a higher position. He didn't want to be God; he wanted to be over God. He wanted to be master of all he surveyed, lord of the universe, the overlord of the Lord of lords. And in desiring to climb higher, he fell. And when he fell, he took a third of the heavenly host with him, apparently that third whose job it was to accompany him in the high praise of God.

And after that, God made the world that we know. He knelt on the banks of the river he had just carved into the earth, scooped up a handful of ruddy mud and fashioned after his own likeness the image of a man. And then he breathed into that earthen vessel new life, and gave man a living spirit, and according to the Jewish traditions, the man sat up and said, "The Lord is King forever and ever." To which God responded, "Now the whole world will know that I am king."

We were made to praise the Lord, to tell of his greatness and his glory throughout all the ages, world without end. We were made to worship him. Is it any wonder then that the devil, that fallen Lucifer, has been working so hard for the last six millennia to destroy the handiwork of God that reflects the Sovereign's own image and likeness? Is it any wonder that he does all he can to prevent our praise? He tempts, he tries, he tests, he attacks, he deceives, he distracts, he destroys. He does what he can to keep us from praising God, because he knows there is power in praise. He knows there is deliverance for us in praise. He knows there is victory over him in our praise. He knows that God listens, when God's people praise him. So he has ever reason for keeping us quiet.

Of course, that right there should be reason enough to keep us praising. It ticks the devil off! So go ahead. Give God a shout out right now. Let the glory-hallelujahs roll off those lips! It may start in a heady place, perhaps as an intellectual exercise, a simple vocalization. But keep praising God. Throw in a praise the Lord or two. Proclaim worthy is the Lamb of God. Give God some thanks and praise with your voice. Clap your hands. Stomp your feet. Jump and shout, dance about. Put your whole body into it. Throw both hands in the air and give God a double high-five while you tell him DUDE, YOU'RE AWESOME!

And if you think I'm getting carried away over here...don't knock it 'til you've tried it. You start praising God and see how long it takes for something to start stirring deep within you, something that won't settle down, something that is fighting to get out. It's like a wellspring of living water that will gush from your innermost being. It's like a might wind, blowing upon your soul. It will turn your world around!

So let's just praise the Lord!

Thank you God, that I can praise you. I mean, that I am able to praise you. Thank you for breath. Thank you for my voice. Thank you for hands and feet that work. Thank you for a body that is healthy and whole. But God, even if I didn't have those things. Even if I was bed-ridden and unable to move, or mute and unable to talk, I'd like to think that I would praise you still. Because nothing can stop my heart from praising you!

Thank you God, that I have reason enough to praise you. You've done so much for me that I cannot tell it all, and I will never forget what you've done for me! You've given and given and given again. You are gracious and merciful and compassionate and bountiful. You supply all my needs, you look after me, you listen patiently to my requests, and sometimes you even give them to me. But even if you never did another thing for me, I could go on praising you just because of who you are, and because you are worthy without having done anything!

Thank you God, that you respond to me when I praise you. When I begin to praise you, I can feel your Spirit rising up within me, and moving all around me. When I begin to lift your name on high, I can feel your presence in my life. It's not that you're not always there; I know that you are. But I love that sweet wonderful sensation of knowing that you are here right now!

God, I give you all my praise!

Thankful, Day Seventy

2011-02-22T11:48:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Once day a year, America takes a day off from work for the giving of thanks. It's always the fourth Thursday in November, and we celebrate the survival of the Pilgrims through their first winter, summer, and harvest. We watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, sit down to a feast unlike anything we experience all year long, join hands around the table to say "Thanks God for all this stuffing", and then while nursing our swollen bellies and heartburn, we watch the Dallas Cowboys throw away another game they should have won.

Then Friday rolls around and the kids are fighting, the inlaws aren't talking, we're tired of turkey, and we can't wait for Monday so we can go back to work and hope things just go back to the way they were before this wretched holiday.

Now I'm not describing my personal Thanksgiving celebrations in particular, but I'd imagine that alot of people in alot of places experience it just the way I've described it. So what about the other 364 days of the year? I'm beginning to think that celebrating Thanksgiving every day might not be such a bad idea.

Of course, I'm not talking about turkey and football. I'm talking about a continual giving of thanks to God who has done so much for me, and continues to do so. This exercise in gratitude has truly impacted my life...and can I tell you that it actually started on Thanksgiving? On the very day when most of us were bloated with sweet potatoes and cornbread dressing, God began to do a work in me that I have yet to see the end of.

I don't have the time or the energy to tell you about the last six months of 2010...but suffice it to say it was a dark and lonely time for me. It was perhaps the biggest crisis of faith I have ever had in my life. It started with me being obedient to the instruction of God, and then failing to trust that He was truly working out all things for my good and His glory--and that's my life verse! That's the Scripture I hold onto at all times with both hands. I kept saying it with my mouth, but my heart could not see how THIS was going to work out well. And then Thanksgiving rolled around, and I got sick and was unable to celebrate in the way I had planned, and I spent most of the day on my couch watching disaster movies and sleeping.

After midnight, I sat down at my computer to blog--you can scroll back and check this out--and gave thanks to God for things that had happened to me, and people that had happened to me. But my blog wasn't enough. I needed some people to know how much I loved and appreciated them. So I sent out some notes. As it happens, one of those notes was an answer to someone's prayer. And from one simple note of thanks has come a world of blessing.

I have to tell you...I didn't feel like giving thanks. I'm not sure it was really in my heart to do so, but it was Thanksgiving after all. And shortly after that I began this 100 day exercise in giving thanks. Which has only increased the blessings of God in my life! I think I'm going to keep on giving thanks, and keep watching what God does. It's so much better to let Him work...because, after all, He doesn't really need my help.

God, I'm so very thankful for the prompting of your Holy Spirit to do the unthinkable, for the boldness to take a step of faith, and for the inspiration to express just the right thought.

God, I'm so thankful for the seeds that have been sown, that you have watered and shined down upon, that have now sprouted and are beginning to peek through the soil of my life.

God, I'm so thankful for the anticipated harvest that you have promised, that you are bringing to fruition.

It's a slow process, Lord, and I'm thankful you're still working on me. Please get me ready for that harvest!

Thankful, Day Sixty-Nine

2011-02-21T11:56:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Is there a song in your heart today? I have to confess, there's not really one in mine. Yet. I've almost always got a song on my mind, but at the moment...nada. Well, that's not exactly true. I have the themesong from an '80s soap opera playing in my head, but that's a different story.

I'm an old soul, they say. My mother always told me I was a little old man from the day I was born. So when songs do pop into my head, it's not usually the latest hit from Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, or Skillet. I'm more likely to hum a Phoebe Knapp tune, or remember a Fanny Crosby lyric...and no, those aren't the hot young members of the newest worship band. My songs come from Songs We Sing...Complete, Hymns of Glorious Praise, or a Gaither Homecoming video. And every once in a while, some praise chorus from the '80s (yeah, I just called it a praise chorus) or perhaps the '90s will throw itself out there.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those people that thinks "If Melodies of Praise was good enough for Paul and Silas to use in prison, it's good enough for me!" I don't think you have to have a hymnbook to worship God. Of course, I don't think the only good worship is the kind you sing off the wall using a video projector and an electric guitar either. Truthfully, I like it all (well, almost all...but I have a friend who is wearing down my resistance to Lecrae. I'm holding the line, though. For now.) I like variety in worship, and I think God does too. Take yesterday for instance. I led worship at church, starting with an old Southern Gospel hit Goodbye World, Goodbye. I followed that with My Redeemer Lives (Hillsong), Friend of God (Gungor), and then tossed out the first verse of What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Someone had requested It is Well with My Soul, and I'd had I will Rise (Chris Tomlin) on my mind all week long. So we did them all, with piano, bass, and drums. I hope I managed to satisfy everyone's musical tastes (except for those who would prefer Lecrae) and I think God was pleased with the mix. They were all great songs of worship.

I heard someone recently say that Church is the only event in the world where people gather regularly for corporate singing (I suppose they were leaving out choir class and Taylor Swift concerts). But corporate worship is part of who we are, of what the Bible gives us as a pattern, and what God desires from His people.

The Psalmist wrote that God inhabits, or is enthroned, in the praises of His people.

In Exodus, when the trumpets sounded, the presence of God came down on top of the mountain.

In the temple, when the choirs and orchestras led the people in the worship of God, His visible presence filled the Most Holy Place.

Jehoshaphat led an army of singers and watched God defeat their enemies.

Paul and Silas sang in jail, and all the prisoners were set free by God's accompanying percussion.

Paul also wrote that we are to encourage each other with songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in our heart to the Lord.

The first disciples worshiped God daily in the temple and going from house to house.

Paul wrote again that we should sing in the Spirit and with the understanding.

Even Jesus led the disciples in a hymn after the Last Supper.

And the Revelation's descriptions of heaven are filled with the worship of the Four Living Creatures, the Twenty-Four elders, the innumerable company of angels and saints, the 144,000, the Tribulation martyrs, and all the saints of all the ages assembled for the one and only time around the throne of God. Apparently, they are going to take a page out of Hymns of Glorious praise when they sing "Holy, Holy, Holy."

Okay, so this blog has been a little tongue-in-cheek. But I'm still thankful today!

I'm thankful for all the songs that have been written in praise and worship to God. I don't care who sings them, or what style they are done in, I'm just glad the whole world is filled with good songs being sung to God.

I'm thankful for all the songs I have committed to heart, so that when my CD player won't work, and my IPOD battery is dead, and there's nothing but talk radio to be found in the truck, I can pull up the verses and choruses from memory and sing my heart out to the Lord.

I'm thankful for God's response to my worship, that when I praise Him, He comes down and lives with me in that moment!

Thank you Lord, and I'm gonna keep on singing...

Thankful, Day Sixty-Eight

2011-02-20T08:24:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Just so that you know that my life isn't sunshine and daisies every day when I blog...

I got too little sleep last night, and not because I was up late on the phone.

Rosie & Sam woke me up too many times during my short night, and when I finally put them out, they started barking their heads off two hours before I was supposed to get up, so I had to bring them inside. I'm guessing shock-collars are in their future.

Dreaming wasn't bad, but I was restless throughout.

My new, 5-year guaranteed pillow is almost flat after less than a month.

There's alot on my mind, things that I can't solve and want to fix, and God keeps telling me to leave it alone because He's taking care of things. And I think He knows what He's doing, but I'd sure like to help.

I'm preaching a message this morning that needs to be heard everywhere in this town, and less than 30 people will ever know I preached it.

My house has been on the market for nearly a year with no offers. I really need it to sell, and then I need a huge financial miracle to get me the rest of the way to where I need to be.

Things are not bad in my life. In fact, all things considered, things are pretty good. But it's not perfect. Sure. I have a house to call home. I have a comfortable bed to sleep in, with new pillows plus all the old ones, and 600-thread-count sheets. There's a roast with potatoes and carrots in the crockpot for lunch. People are going to meet me at church for a couple hours of fellowship with God and each other, and then someone (I don't know who yet) is going to come over to share my roast with potatoes and carrots. I'm going to take a nap this afternoon, and perhaps spend some time with friends. And somewhere along the way, I will probably lose a game of Scrabble to the most wonderful woman in the world and enjoy an evening of playful banter and deep conversation. All in all, not bad.

I just wanted you to know that even as I rejoice and give thanks and express gladness and gratitude, that not everything is perfect in my life. Not all is a bed of roses. I still have difficult days, difficult times, difficult circumstances. But I am thankful that I serve a great God who is on the throne watching out for me and working on my behalf! I have Jesus as my friend and savior, the Holy Spirit as my indwelling comforter, the Bible as my all sufficient guide, the church as my companion. I have the three things that will always remain--faith, hope, and love. I truly have the things I need, and God has promised so much more in this life and in the one to come.

So of course I am thankful this morning!

Thank you Lord for another day to draw breath and see you do great things!

Thank you Lord for much more grace, mercy, and favor than I could earn or ever deserve!

Thank you Lord for the good things in life that you have blessed me with!

I offer you my sincerest thanksgiving and gratitude this morning, and hope to have more to thank you for before this day is through. You know my needs, my requests, and my cares...and whatever you do about them, I know you will do well!

Thankful, Day Sixty-Seven

2011-02-19T12:51:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God.

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Missing two days of blogging is what I get for going out of town without my computer. But right up front let me say I am very thankful for the last two days, and thankful now to get back to my routine of blogging my gratitude. It's a wonderful exercise!

You know, serving the Lord is not always simple or easy. It requires dedication and discipline. It requires selflessness and sacrifice. It requires effort on our part. Some people "get saved"--they raise their hand, walk an aisle, pray a prayer, sign a card, shake somebody's hand, maybe even get dunked underwater for good measure--and never do anything with it. They don't change; they don't grow; they don't work. Often times they don't even stay with it. They think, "Well, now I've made my peace with God, I can go live like I want to live and everything is okay."

Can I tell you, everything is not okay with that kind of thinking?

I've been serving the Lord for nearly thirty-five years, including the two and a half years during which my parents served the Lord before I gave my heart to Jesus at the tender age of six. I gave my life to Him a long time ago, and I told Him I would serve Him for the rest of my life. I won't try to convince you that I've always been perfect, or that I have never messed up since I got saved. There have been mistakes, bad choices, stupid decisions, wrong actions taken by this poor wretched man. Let's face it; whoever says they don't sin is a liar, and the truth is not in them. So I admit it; I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...many times.

I've had to deal with my own share of miserable moods and sorry attitudes. I've tangled with outward problems and inward too. I may not have killed anybody or committed adultery or stolen something, but I won't try to tell you that I've never had a problem with anger, lust or greed. I'm a man, and (though I'm not planning on going, and have done everything to ensure that I won't go) if I go to hell, it won't be for lying. I'm going to be honest with you today, I'm not perfect.

But in thirty-five years, I have never stopped serving the Lord. I didn't always walk as close as I could, or as well as I should. I didn't always do it with a humble heart or a committed spirit. But I never turned my back on Him. Even in the hard and difficult days that I've had to face. Even when friends turned their backs on me and my enemies were members of my own house. Even when the bottom dropped out of everything I'd been pouring my life into and I found my dreams in ruins. Even when I suffered disappointment and pain, grief and trial, persecution and loss. I did not quit. But I have to admit, I wasn't always happy about it. I wasn't always glad to be serving the Lord.

Serving the Lord with gladness is one of the challenges of the Christian life. Can you serve the Lord in sickness and in health? In poverty and wealth? In good times and bad times? In blessing and in loss? Can you serve the Lord when the night is dark, the road is rough, the night is dark, and the storm is fierce? Can you serve the Lord when nothing you do succeeds or seems blessed, when you can't feel His overwhelming presence when you rise or when you sleep? Can you serve the Lord with few or no companions, with no acknowledgement, appreciation or applause? Can you serve the Lord when your prayers aren't getting answered, when your seed fails to produce fruit? As one preacher I heard recently put it: Can you serve God when He gives you rocks instead of bread? And can you do it with a smile on your face and a song in your heart?

Your song might be "Farther Along We'll Know All About It" or "We'll Understand It Better By and By". Your song might be "No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus" or "No Never Alone." Heck, your song might even be "Hold the Fort." But can you find the gladness of serving the Lord even in those songs?

We're glad to be glad when all is well. We must still find our gladness, when everything is not.

Thank you Lord for a glad and happy heart. I've been through alot of sadness, in all probability will go through alot of sadness still. But as the tears roll down my cheeks, I will still say, "I will serve you with gladness, because you've never let me down."

Thank you Lord for the blessing of serving you, and for the Spirit in me that fills me with joy and gladness as I do it. Serving you is no burden, it's a joy!

Thank you Lord for the little rewards--the one shoot that springs from the many seeds I have sown, the one crust of bread that comes back on the tide, the one ray of light that shines through the overcast night. Thank you Lord for the small taste of sweetness when the world has been so bitter, for the small glimpse of future hope when the past has been so dismal. Thank you Lord for your blessed assurance because Jesus is mine!

I'm going to serve you with gladness, because I know you do all things well, and you are doing them for me.

Thankful, Day Sixty-Six

2011-02-16T13:45:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Did you know there is a difference between happiness and joy?

Let me demonstrate. If big, red, Dodge trucks are your thing, and you get one, it makes you happy. You drive around town so happy in your big, red, Dodge truck and you just know everyone is looking at you, and you're happy about that too. You pull into a parking space at Wal-Mart and run inside for some wax to put a nice shine on your big, red, Dodge truck, and you don't mind paying for the really good stuff, because having a shiny, big, red Dodge truck makes you happy. You whistle as you walk back to your truck, and as you get close, you notice something. Someone has parked a shopping cart next to your driver's side door. You get a little closer, and you realize someone has rammed that shopping cart into your shiny, big, red Dodge truck, leaving a small dent, some chipped paint, and a scrape the size of Pennsylvania on your door! Who would do such a thing! And just like that, your happiness over your shiny, new, big, red Dodge truck has vanished over something that can be cosmetically covered with some red nail polish.

But if you have joy, a scrape in your paint doesn't bother you. It's just paint, and joy is the character of Jesus Christ being developed by the Holy Spirit within you as you live it out. In fact, if someone rammed you from behind and tore up the rear end of your shiny new big red Dodge truck, you'd still be okay because your joy is not invested in your toys. In fact, if you have joy, you don't even care about not having the shinynewbigreddodgepickup. You've got Jesus, and that's really all you need.

Happy is the result of favorable circumstance; joy is a fruit of knowing Christ. Happy is about giddy feelings and laughter; joy is about abiding peace and stability. If my heart is committed to Christ, if His Spirit is moving and living in me, then my joy overflows and does not depend what happens to me, for me, or around me. It is simply an outflow of the Holy Ghost!

That's why I can shout joyfully when things don't go my way. My joy is not in having my way; my joy is in knowing that I have Christ. I can shout joyfully in the midst of grief and pain, sorrow and affliction, lack and loss. I can shout joyfully when all the world around me rages. And why? Because God is on the throne, Jesus ever lives to make intercession for me, and the Holy Spirit has filled me up.

Thank you Jesus that the joy that comes from you gives me strength for every situation. When it seems like my heart is about to be overwhelmed, and my life overcome, all I have to do is turn my thoughts toward you and discover that in your presence there is fullness of joy, and pleasure at your right hand forevermore. Thank you for joy!

Thank you Jesus that you comfort me through the night of weeping and grief, but when the night is over, joy comes in the morning. I know from personal experience that doesn't have anything to do with the time of day, but rather the time of life. Sadness is going to come, and grief is sometimes necessary. But when the time for tears has passed, joy still abides!

Thank you Jesus that when I don't necessarily feel your joy, all I have to do to find it again is begin to rejoice. Your word says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice!" There is more joy to be had by the soul that is always rejoicing.

Thank you Jesus for joy!

Thankful, Day Sixty-Five

2011-02-15T10:18:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord, He is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

We've come through all the actions prescribed in this Psalm for the giving of thanks: SHOUT (as in make a joyful). SERVE (with gladness). COME (with singing). KNOW. ENTER (with thanksgiving and praise). BE THANKFUL. And now for the last one: BLESS HIS NAME!

I did a quick word study, and discovered that the word bless as used in this passage actually means to kneel and salute, and can include either blessing or cursing, and is mostly translated as bless, but a couple of times it means blaspheme. I don't think the Psalmist meant this in a negative way, so I'm gonna go with the 302 times as opposed to the 2 times and say we are supposed to kneel before our Lord in salute and praise Him.

But how often do we kneel in the presence of the Lord for praise? Do we ever fall to our knees during the first chords of a worship set and bow our face to the floor in worship? Do we ever spontaneously sink down between the pews (or chairs) with our hands lifted high in adoration and praise?

When I was growing up, most of our churches still had altars in them. If you don't know what an altar is, it's also been called the penitent forum and the mourner's bench. Traditionally, it was a low bench situated between the seats and the stage in a church where people were invited to come and pray. Sinners were compelled to come to the altar and give their lives to Jesus. Seekers were encouraged to come to the altar to receive more from the Lord. The saved, sanctified and spirit-filled Saints came on their on, to altar their lives even more. Everyone cried there. The old wooden altars were stained with people's tears. It was a place of groaning and affliction, and when the release came, it became a place of praise.

I've noticed we don't do that much anymore. I've been in lots of churches that don't even have altars, and I'm not trying to make a doctrinal statement out of a bench across the front. Our heart can be our altar. But along with removing the altar, many churches have abandoned the practice of penitence, of kneeling in the presence of God and offering the sacrifice of our praise. I, on the other hand, love to kneel before the Lord. I do it at my bedside, I do it in my closet, I do it in my office, I do it at my piano bench, I do it in my living room, I do it at whatever chair is available to me at the moment I want to kneel. And I love the act. It is absolutely overwhelming to humble myself before the Lord, and in that position let Him do some much needed work. In fact, I think I'll find a place to pray...just as soon as this blog is done.

And don't get me wrong...I'm not bragging about my own holiness and righteousness. I'm not putting myself on display. But I am holding my own life and practice up as an example. If you don't believe me when I tell you how good it is, do as I do and try it out for yourself. Kneel before God and praise His Holy Name, and see what starts to happen!

Thank you God for your goodness. You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing, every good and perfect gift. You have filled my mouth with good things, you have satisfied my soul, and supplied for my every need. You have granted me favor and grace, and I am truly thankful for all that you have done for me, all that you're doing in me, and all that you have promised to do!

Thank you God for your mercy. You have forgiven me all of my sins, cleansed me from all unrighteousness, covered and passed over all of my transgressions. Your grace is sufficient, your compassions never fail, your love covers a multitude of sin, and your mercy is new every morning!

Thank you God for your truth. Your Word is faithful and true. It is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, and I will hide its word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. All of your promises are yes and amen to me. Everything you have promised, You will also perform. All that you've started, you'll be faithful to complete. For You are not a man, that You should lie. Grass withers, and flowers fade. But Your Word, O God, remains forever!

I bless Your Name, and worship You today!

Thankful, Day Sixty-Four

2011-02-14T13:08:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I know there is only one verb left in my little exercise, but since it is Valentine's Day, I thought I would turn aside for a moment to reflect on all the love that God has put in my life.

Thank you God, for the love of my mother, which has been unconditional since the first time we met. That lady has been a big blessing in my life, and I am so grateful that you didn't give someone else. And thanks Mom, for being the best Mom ever!

Thank you God, for the love of my friends, who have proven themselves faithful and loyal through the hardest of times. I know I have said this before, and I will likely say this again, but thanks guys! I might have been able to make it without you, maybe, possibly, perhaps...but I'm glad I didn't have to try. You're the best friends a man could ask for.

Thank you God, for the singularly special love you are preparing for me, and for which you are preparing me, and that's all I'm going to say about that here. Except to say this: thank you, sweet lady.

Thank you God, for love that is patient and kind;

for love that does not envy;

for love that does not parade itself,

and is not puffed up;

for love that does not behave rudely,

does not seek its own,

and is never provoked;

for love that thinks no evil,

that rejoices not in iniquity,

but rejoices in the truth;

for love that bears all things, believes all things;

for love that hopes all things and endures all things;

for love that never fails!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, CLS paraphrase

Thankful, Day Sixty-Three

2011-02-13T18:33:00.004-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Be thankful, it says. Thankfulness is not just an action or an expression. It's not about speaking words of thanks, or having an attitude of gratitude. It's not something you say, or something that you do. Thankfulness is a state of being. It is something that you are.

People can say thanks without meaning it. Oh, they may mean the words at the time they say them. But they don't really have a heart of thanksgiving. People can send Thank You cards to acknowledge the gift that you gave or the kindness that you showed. But that could just mean they are merely polite and understand social etiquette. People can turn thanks over a plate of food, rattling off some rote prayer without feeling any stirring of gratitude toward the hands that really provided it.

But the kind of thankfulness the Psalmist is talking about is a lifestyle, not a single act. It is about a heart and mind and body all turned constantly and continually in praise and gratitude toward the Almighty. I love the encouragements of the Apostle Paul. Such as, rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks. Or, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice. Or, with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

Yes, thankfulness isn't supposed to be what we do. It needs to be who we are.

Lord, I thank you for the good times, the great times, the happy, fulfilling, satisfying, completely wonderful times that you bless me with. The moments, the minutes, the hours, the days that you fill with such good and blessed things. Lord, I'm truly thankful and I hope my life reflects that. I appreciate the favor that shines down on me from on high!

Lord, I thank you for the bad times, too, the sad times that are often dark and lonely, when the road is rough and my companions are few. I thank you for the valleys in life, for they make me appreciate the mountaintop even more. I thank you for the desert wandering, which makes me appreciate the oasis even more. I thank you for the dry and barren land, which makes me appreciate the fountain of life even more. And most of all, I appreciate your faithful presence in my life that is recognizable in the bad times, as well as in the good. Your favor still shines down from on high!

Lord, I thank you for the times yet to come that you have promised me. I know I will walk through hard times, and that you will be with me, but I thank you for the assurance that better days are ahead, and that the best in life is yet to come. I know what you have promised, and I can hardly wait to see how you are going to do it all! I truly appreciate the plans that you have for me, the path that you have set before me, and the perfection with which you will bring it all to pass.

Thank you Lord for all days!

Thankful, Day Sixty-Two

2011-02-12T09:29:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Today's action is ENTER. It follows the same thought as coming before the Lord's presence, except it is referring to a specific place of worship. In the Old Testament, that was the Tabernacle, God's portable dwelling place that served Israel for 500 years, or the Temple, which served Israel for nearly 1000 years. But what does that mean to us? How do we enter His gates and His courts?

Does it mean the church as a building or a place? After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the disciples continued to meet together in the upper room, in the temple, and from house to house. Paul always attended synagogue until they wouldn't have him anymore, and then he found public forums in which to teach. Even though there is no indication that the Apostles placed any importance on the specific place, they did have specific places that they met. And I think it's a good practice today to go to a place with other believers to worship God. It doesn't have to be the Crystal Cathedral or the Little Brown Church in the Vale. But I believe there should definitely be a place where people go to worship the Lord from time to time.

As individuals, we are each the temple of the Holy Spirit. He resides in us, and makes our heart his home. So I suppose it could also be said that entering the gates and courts of the Lord could be seen as looking inward to the presence of Christ in us. And there are certainly times when we need to be alone with God, shut in with him in a secret place, communing with him and getting to know him. Jesus said we should go into our closets to pray, and often went off by himself to do so. But being in relationship with God isn't about solitude; it's about community. When we are in relationship with God, we are in relationship with each other, because of the Spirit of God living in all of us. So there is a time and a place to look within to worship the Lord; but there is also certainly a time and a place to look without for corporate worship with other believers.

After all, corporately we are the church. We are the body of Christ. We are his hands and his feet, his eyes, ears, nose and throat. We are individually members of the body of Christ, but together we parts make up the greater whole. This can be said of any local church congregation. It can also be said of each individual in the worldwide company of believers. And I believe it can be said of each church working as a part of the whole. Didn't Jesus say where two or three gather in his name, he is also there with them? So whenever believers assemble, no matter how many, they have convened the body, conjoined the temple, and there they can meet with God.

And since the earth is the Lord's and everything that is in it; since heaven is his throne and earth his footstool; since He is everywhere present all of the time, I believe it would be safe to say that wherever we go, there we are in the presence of God. Yes, we can go places to enter his gates, worshiping alone or with other people. But in all practicality, anywhere we go we need to enter with thanksgiving and praise to the one who is God of all!

God, I'm thankful for your power, for you can do what no other power can do, and whatever you do, you do it well.

I'm thankful for your presence, because wherever I go you are with me, and you never leave me nor forsake me.

I'm thankful for your promises, which are faithful and true, and will always be fulfilled in the lives of those who love you.

Thank you God that you never let us go, and you never let us down! You are good!

Thankful, Day Sixty-One

2011-02-11T11:53:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Shout joyfully! Serve with gladness! Come with singing! I love this Psalm!

And I also love its next command to me, its next instruction for life and for godliness. KNOW! Know that He is God...as opposed to thinking there are others, or maybe even that you are Him. Know that He alone is God and that there is no other. Know that He is God, and that you're not. Know that He is God, and that He is sovereign, supreme, eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, ever present, all-knowing and compassionate without limit.

Know that He has made us. We are not an accident. We are not the current evolutionary descendants of two amino acids that merged in the primordial soup. We are not the offspring of monkeys born without tails. And neither are we self-made. We may have earned degrees and climbed corporate ladders. We may have accomplishments, and made a name for ourselves. We may have pulled on our own bootstraps and stood up tall. But we need to understand that He is the One who is ultimately responsible for our existence. He formed us with His own hands. In the wombs of our mothers, He shaped us and called us by name. He put those gifts and talents within us. He gave us dreams and desires. He is my maker, and He knows my name!

Know that we are His. We are His people, and we are His sheep. We belong to Him. He can do with us whatever He wants, but He has promised to bless us, to keep us, to guard and guide us. He has promised to take care of us in every way imaginable, and has covenanted Himself to us for salvation and eternal life. In His care, I am ultimately safe and triumphantly victorious. And there is nowhere else that I'd rather be. There is nothing else I'd rather serve. I'm happy to belong to God.

Thank you Lord, for your sufficient grace, your mercy that is new every day, your unfailing compassion, and your limitless love. All of those things I need in great amounts at any given moment of the day, and thank you that they never run out.

Thank you Lord, for your hand on my life, working in my life, moving around my life, forming, shaping, renovating and restoring. Thank you for taking everything about my existence and shaping it to your will, working all things out for my good and for your glory.

Thank you Lord, for your voice that speaks clearly in many different ways. Thank you for your written Word. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the laws that are written on tablets of flesh within me, and for the Word that I have hidden in my heart. Thank you for the gifts of others, who speak to me even when they don't know they are talking to anyone but themselves. And thank you for your direct and spoken Word that I alone can hear. When all these voices are saying the same thing, I know I'm hearing from you.

Thanks!

Thankful, Day Sixty

2011-02-10T14:22:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Come, he says. Come before the the Lord. Come into His presence. Come with singing.

But what do you do when you don't feel like coming before the Lord? What do you do when you are ashamed or afraid or apprehensive? What if God sees too much, or knows to much? What if this is the time when God finally looks down and says, "I don't want you near me, you wretched imbecile! Away with you!" And with a wave of His hand simply erases you from existence. Has anyone else ever felt that way when it was time to approach God, or is it just me?

And yet still he says, "Come."

I think of Adam and Eve, hiding behind the leaves of the fig tree, ashamed of their own nakedness as God came walking to talk with them in the garden. And knowing what they had done, God called out to them, "Where are you?" He wanted to be with them.

Jesus called all those flawed disciples, repeatedly, knowing what they were like, knowing how they were going to be, even Judas, and still He said, "Come, follow me."

Jesus said, "Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."

Jesus said, "Come to me and drink, and out of your belly will flow rivers of living water."

Jesus invites us all to come to Him.

And so I do. The Bible says that He is my High Priest who sympathizes with me in weakness, and that I can boldly come to Him. So I come. The Bible says that He is a living stone, the cornerstone and the capstone of my faith, and that I should come to him as a living stone and offer myself to Him. So I come.

Thank you Lord that you do not forsake your own, nor abandon them, nor disown them, nor cast them away from you, when they keep coming to you in faith. Lord, I come.

Thank you Lord that you are constantly and continually available to the tempted and the tried, to the weak and the needy, to the poor and imprisoned, to the sick and the tired, and that you hold out your arms to them. Lord, I come.

Thank you Lord that are my shelter, my shield, my buckler, my strong tower, my rock of safety and my defense, and that I can run to you and be saved. Lord, I come.

And I will come with my song.

Thankful, Day Fifty-Nine

2011-02-09T10:41:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

The thought occurred to me today that this little exercise is on the downhill stretch, and then I wondered what I'm going to do when my hundred days of thanks are over. It has really revolutionized my day-to-day existence. Typing the 100th Psalm from memory every day is like slipping into my favorite pair of shoes. And each day there is just so much more to be thankful for. I'm not promoting some new pattern or model for every Christian to follow...but I'm telling you now. Intentionally and deliberately giving thanks every day is a wonderful, wonderful discipline to develop.

And how funny (a personal inner kind of humor that I cannot share at this time, so just sit over there and be curious) it is that today, of all days, the action I have arrived at is SERVE.

Serve the Lord with gladness, it says. So why do so many people serve the Lord begrudgingly? Why do so many people say, "Well, God wants me to do this, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it!" Think I'm joking? Try pastoring a church. You'll see what I'm talking about. In my opinion, the most miserable people in the world are those who won't serve the Lord with gladness. They are convinced that God doesn't want them to be happy, so either they are resisting His will, or they are half-heartedly obeying while griping about it all the time. "I can't believe God is making me do this!"

I have to admit; I've had my own moments. There have been a few times in my life--okay, more than a few--when I have looked desperately upward and said, "God, are you sure this is what you want from me. Are you sure this is how it has to be?" It's easy to serve God with a smile when things are easy, when things are going the way they are supposed to go, when the results are what you expect. Like the words of the old song:

I'm living on the mountain underneath a cloudless sky

I'm feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply

O yes I'm drinking from a fountain that never shall run dry

I'm dwelling in Beulah Land!

It's easy to serve the Lord with gladness when you're living there. But what about when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death and have evil threatening you on every side? What about when you journey the hard road alone, sowing in tears and suffering from heartache and defeat? What about when none of your dreams have come true, when none of your seed has yielded fruit, when none of your efforts have produced any results? Can you serve the Lord with gladness then?

And many times, we say to the Lord: I'll serve you with gladness as long as you'll leave me here, and not send me there. I'll serve you with gladness as long as you bless me with this, and don't let me suffer through that. I'll serve you with gladness as long as...and we put conditions on the gladness with which we serve the Lord. But God doesn't want our conditions; He wants our commitment. He doesn't want our demands; He wants our devotion. He doesn't want our requirements; He wants a relationship.

So I ask myself today: Am I serving the Lord with gladness? Some days it's easy; some days it takes effort. But on all days, I choose to serve Him with a smile.

Today, I'm thankful to be in the service of the Lord, and not some other taskmaster. It's a cruel, cold world we live in, and its demands on us are brutal. The devil is only out for my destruction. And sin takes me further than I want to go, keeps me longer than I want to stay, and costs much more than I am willing to pay. On the other hand, serving the Lord is full of blessing and riches in this life, and so much more in the one to come.

I'm thankful to be serving the Lord where I am. Preaching is my joy, and pastoring is my delight. I love my people, my church, and my community. I love where I am at, although for a long time I wondered why I was even here. But I'm glad to be here!

I'm thankful that the Lord has seen fit to use me in His service, and that He continues to give me inspiration and direction for what He wants me to do. I'm ready and willing to do anything, to go anywhere, because I know that wherever He leads, it will be good.

Thank you Lord, for letting me be on your team! I'm really happy to serve.

Thankful, Day Fifty-Eight

2011-02-08T15:34:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I want to focus on the actions, this time through (and out of necessity, some of the connected material). This is just such an active Psalm, and it reflects the life and liveliness of true praise. Consider the first action: SHOUT!

My Dad was a shouter. What I mean is, when Dad started preaching, you know the volume was gonna go up. When Dad was singing, if he didn't know the words to the song, or if he got caught up in the moment, he'd just stand there and shout about it with some hallelujahs or glory-to-Gods! My Pastor was a shouter, which I guess is where Dad got it from. One of my early mentors was a shouter. And I'm a shouter too, but at least I come by it honestly. I've had good examples to follow.

So this is why I don't understand quiet worshipers. I'm not saying you can't worship God quietly; I'm just saying, I don't get it. We are talking about the awesome God of all that is, all that was, and all that will ever be. We are talking about the Supreme Sovereign, Eternally Existent Lord of Everything. We are talking about the one who made us, who saved us, who blesses us richly, and does more than we can ask or think. We are talking about GOD, after all!!!

This is why I shout! So if I'm too loud, just plug your ears. At least until you get to heaven, then you'll be a shouter too.

I have alot to shout about today, and this space is insufficient to tell it all. So let me try to sum up.

I'm thankful for the rest God brings through His presence. I had very little sleep on Saturday night or Sunday night, and I know I needed the rest. But His presence imparted what I needed yesterday, and then He blessed me with a good long winter nap last night!

I'm thankful for the joy God brings through His presence. When times are tough, when the way gets rough, there are days I just don't want to face it. But His presence fills me up, and I'm reminded of what the Psalmist wrote, "In His presence, there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures ever more!"

I'm thankful for the peace God brings through His presence. There are alot of things on my mind right now, a cacophonous torrent of competing thoughts all demanding my attention at once. And yet through it all, the peace that passes all understanding has guarded my heart and my mind. God is sorting this all out, and I can't wait to get to the other side, because it's going to be great. And I have peace about that.

Thank you Lord, for Your presence with me, and Your presence in me.

Thankful, Day Fifty-Seven

2011-02-07T10:24:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing..

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I need to reverse the course of this day!

I've been telling people for years: If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, go back to bed and slide out the other side!

If that doesn't work, do a little dance around the foot of the bed, speaking in tongues, until you feel your victory coming on. Then leap straight up in the air--rapture practice.

If that doesn't work, shout yourself happy with a mouthful of hallelujahs and glory-to-Gods.

Perhaps I should take my own advice.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Last night was a wonderful night. Today is going to be a glorious day. But this morning is going a little rough. But that's okay, because my God is on the throne and He's not getting off. I have a Savior who loves me, and is always on my side. I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me, and He is greater than anything this day can throw at me. I have a home and hearth, a warm bed, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet, too many cars in the driveway, food in the refrigerator and pantry. I have two dogs that love me, both of whom I usually love back. My life is filled with love and laughter, with friends and family, with joy and gladness. All is well...and if it's not yet, praise God, I know it's going to be!

See, I feel better already!

Thank you Lord for the grace and power to start a brand new day serving you. I'm going to keep my eyes fixed upon you, my heart tuned in to you, my life submitted and dedicated to you. And by faith, I declare that this is going to be a good day, whether it goes my way or not.

Thank you Lord for your help in present time of need. When the world is spinning out of control and I can't do anything to stop it. When huge objects are hurtling toward me from outerspace and I can't do anything to deflect them. When the sky seems to be falling and I can't do anything to escape it. Thank you Lord for your help!

Thank you Lord for the little things in life that You keep giving to me. A little sweetness removes the bitter taste. A little laughter dries away the tears. A little gentle tenderness brings so much healing to a whole lot of hurt. A little glimpse of glory, a little foretaste of what is yet to come, a little bit of goodness goes a long way to lift my spirits and let me see!

Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me!

Thankful, Day Fifty-Six

2011-02-06T16:29:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

So here I am, a little over two months into this wonderful project of giving thanks, and I'm starting through the 100th Psalm for the third time. Just after Thanksgiving, a friend of mine suggested this exercise: Read through Psalm 100 every day for 100 days, following its structure and journaling each day on three things we were thankful for. I took him up on his suggestion, and what a time I've had!

I've had several direct answers to prayer during this time. My own personal attitude and outlook on life has taken a serious turn for the positive. I've even experienced some long anticipated victory in my life. And God has been blessing me beyond my fervent requests and wildest dreams.

So I suppose I could say, with no small amount of experience, that being thankful to God is beneficial. I'm not going to say that my continual giving of thanks manipulated God into giving me stuff I asked for, but I will say that my continual giving of thanks has made me more aware of what God is doing on a daily basis in my life, and it is also preparing me for the good things He's going to do, if I will just keep on praying, and thanking Him for all that He has done and all that He is going to do.

Thank you God for showing up at church with us today. You honored your word as we gathered to honor you. You sat down in the praises of your people. You were with us as we fellowshiped together. You spoke to us through your word and ministered through your Spirit. I'm so thankful that we serve a real, living, and powerful God.

Thank you God for the saints in my care, who also care for me. When they prayed for me today, I know they had a heart for my need. They will help me with this burden, and stand by me as we pray for the conclusion of this matter. I'm so thankful that when we bear one another's burdens, they are willing to help me bear mine!

Thank you God for friends and fellowship, and for those who want to take time out of their lives to spend some time with me. I'm so thankful for the people you have placed in my life to love me, and the people you have placed in my life for me to love.

Thankful, Day Fifty-Five

2011-02-05T14:13:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

We are living in a world where truth is relative and ever-changing, and the call of its modern-day prophets is one of tolerance, acceptance, and universalism. No one person or group could possibly have a corner or God or truth, therefore no one person or group can be totally right. All religion is the same; all holy books are the same; all believers are the same, no matter what you believe. And if you stand up and say, "I am right," you are decried and abused, shouted down and outcast. You cannot possibly know what you are talking about! Who do you think you are?

One group says the way to God is to do more good things than you do bad things, but there is nothing to objectively determine what is bad and what is good. You just do your best, trying to do better than you did the last time thorough this life, and maybe you'll get it better next time, until finally you achieve oneness with the cosmic consciousness and merge with the universe.

Another group says there is no God, but rather a state of perfect nothingness where all is peace and harmony with the universe. Just deny yourself, deny your emotions, deny your heart, deny your desires, until you achieve deep inner peace. And once you achieve that deep inner peace, POOF, you're gone.

Another group says nature is God, and the way to God's heart is environmentalism and communion with creation. Recognize your oneness with the trees and the mountains and the flowers and the rivers. Channel those energies and focus them on unity with all humanity. And just keep doing it over and over again forever.

Another group says you have to strictly follow more than 600 specific rules in hopes of pleasing God and attaining to eternal life.

Another group says you have to perform certain daily rituals and pray certain prayers, and if all else fails, blow somebody up, and then you will please God and have eternal life.

Another group says you have to go through expensive counseling to rid yourself of the alien parasites that are leeching onto your soul, and once you have achieved enough levels of purification, you will be perfected.

And on and on the list goes.

The Bible says, "Repent, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins."

The Bible says, "If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you will be saved."

The Bible says, "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved, and will in no way be put to shame."

The Bible says, "God love the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life."

Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."

That truth is dependable; that is truth that endures.

I am thankful for the ones who first brought the truth to my father, a wretched and sinful man who, because of the gospel truth, found forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. It changed his life, and it changed the destiny of his family. Thank God for the gospel, for in it is the power of God that brings salvation to them who believe!

I am thankful for my dad who first presented that truth to me. He couldn't save me or make me serve Jesus, but refused to let me serve the devil. He told me of my own sin, and of my need for a savior. He told me about Jesus Christ who would save me from my sin and give me eternal life. And when the Spirit quickened that truth in my heart, I too gave my life to Jesus and he changed me forever!

I am thankful for the call to give this truth to others. I could feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, comfort the afflicted, care for the needy, and love everybody. But if I don't give them message of Christ's salvation that is available and free, I have cheated them out of the one thing they so desperately need. Good works are good; but they should always accompany the gospel truth.

Thank you God, for the truth that changes lives and offers us eternity!

Thankful, Day Fifty-Four

2011-02-03T11:06:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning! Not only does His mercy last forever, not only is His mercy ultimately sufficient to meet everyone's need for it, not only will His mercy continue to reach out, and continue to reach out, and continue to reach out...it is able to make each day a brand new day!

We are people, made from the dust and on our way back to it. We are what we are made of--like I've said many times, we're just ugly dirt bags of mostly water. Sometimes we act like what we're made of. But the prophet also tells us to arise and shake ourselves from the dust. God's mercy is enough!

It's wonderful to know that God can take a poor, wretched sinner--someone who has lived a life in depravity and degradation, who has never done one redeeming thing in their lives--and through His own mercy transform them into a glorious saint! How the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner is saved! But I have to tell you, as someone who has been in church and known the Lord for as long as I can remember, who has made plenty of mistakes, committed many a sin, and done some wretched things even as a believer, it is wonderful to know that God's mercy is also extended to even me.

Because there are days when I need all the mercy I can get!

Thank you Lord for your patience and long-suffering with us, that you don't want us to perish, but desire us to live repentant lives with penitent hearts before you. I'm going to try to live each day better than I did the day before, I'm going to do it by your grace and through your mercy and love, but if I falter while I'm trying, don't be angry. Let me stay! I love you Lord, and will continue to try to do better.

Thank you Lord for your foreknowledge of my life, that at every twist and turn along the way, you have still been unfolding your wonderful plan and included me in it. Thank you Lord that you saw me before I was ever born, you knew everything I would ever do, ever say, ever think, ever feel. You knew everything that I would ever do, or that would ever be done to me. And through your mercy you made everything work out okay.

Thank you Lord for not blotting me out of existence when I walked a little further from you than I should have, or when I did things that I know were displeasing unto you. It is through your mercy that I was not consumed, through your mercy that I was not erased from the face of creation, and it is still through your mercy that I continue to walk humbly before you...ever aware that I'm surely not good enough, but you are!

I love you Lord, and am truly grateful for all the mercies you have shown to me.

Thankful, Day Fifty-Three

2011-02-02T17:27:00.004-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before His presence with thanksgiving.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

The Lord is good, and I never cease to be amazed at just how good He is to me. I know I don't deserve anything good that happens to me; without Jesus, I'd be a wretched man and my life would be a wreck. As it is, His grace has taken all the good, all the bad, and all the ugly, shaken it up, turned it around, and done something with it. He can turn anything into a blessing, and that's just grace! That's just God!

Thank you God for providing good direction for my footsteps, for giving me guidance and helping me along the way. Even the decisions that I questioned at the time make sense now, as if there is a master plan you are helping me follow. Thanks so much for leading me along the paths of righteousness for your name's sake.

Thank you God for filling my life with good things, blessings that make me rich and add no sorrow with them. You have redeemed me and saved me; you have continued working on me without giving up; you have not cast me aside and found a new project. Instead you just keep pouring your goodness into my life with the knowledge that one day I will live up to your desire and expectation of me. Thanks for all that you've given me and all that you've done.

Thank you God for your good and precious promises. I know I can trust you and take you at your word; even when things don't look the way they should from my perspective, I know you have a higher seat. You see the big picture. And I thank you for the encouragement that says, Keep holding on. This is about to get good!

Thank you Lord, for your great goodness. I don't deserve it, but I'm glad I have it.

Thankful, Day Fifty-Two

2011-01-31T11:54:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

What an incredible day was yesterday! And I'm thankful for it, and for all that God is doing.

Thank you Lord, for that powerful word yesterday from Pastor Jesse. Humility is truly the heart of repentance, and Lord, I recognize my need for You and Your grace today. Thank you for giving it.

Thank you Lord, for your healing hand upon me. No offense to any doctors out there, but I'd rather go to one who really knows what He's doing, rather than to someone who is just practicing. Whatever I had is almost gone, and I'm thankful for the rest and the restoration of the weekend.

Thank you Lord, for filling my life with good things, restoring what was lost, broken down, and in some ways forgotten. You certainly know how to give good gifts to Your children, and I am truly grateful for the treasure You have allowed me to find.

Thanks Lord, for being so good!

Thankful, Day Fifty-One

2011-01-30T08:55:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

This one won't be long, but I am thankful this morning!

I'm thankful for the rest I got yesterday.

I'm thankful that I feel much, much better today.

I'm thankful that tomorrow is looking brighter all the time!

Thank you God for Your power, Your love, Your plan, Your voice. Please speak and move in me according to Your Divine will!

Thankful, Day Fifty

2011-01-28T11:49:00.002-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Technically, this should be Day Fifty-Six, but I missed a few days blogging. I have not, however, missed a day of giving thanks. When I started this journey seven weeks ago, I had no idea where it was going to take me, or what it might accomplish. As a reminder to those who may have missed my initial explanation, a friend of mine suggested journaling through Psalm 100 every day for 100 days and giving thanks for three things each day. Since I'm a blogger, I decided to take my show on the road--the information superhighway, that is.

I have to admit that when I started this exercise, there were lots of days where I had to think long and hard about giving thanks. There were days I didn't feel like giving thanks, days I didn't think there was anything to give thanks for. But can I tell you this. The first month was an effort, sometimes a chore, and some days I just had to fake it to make it. I hope you don't mind honesty. But I truthfully gave thanks to God. And then came day thirty-one. And my world was changed, rocked off its axis when God stood up for me and did the unimaginable. Never mind what it was; just trust me. It was great, completely unexpected, and life changing.

Today, I'm weak in body, sick again with something that will eventually go away if God doesn't provide and instantaneous cure. But in the Spirit, I am strong and gaining more strength every day. And I truly do feel like praising Him, and giving thanks.

God, thank you for every method and means you employ to get my attention and communicate your heart to me. You are patient and long-suffering, loving and merciful, compassionate and gracious. You poke and you prod, you speak, and speak, and when necessary you speak again. But Lord, I just want you to know, I'm listening. And I'm thankful that I can hear and obey.

God, thank you for those you bring along side to help me. You sent the Holy Spirit as my comforter, teacher, and guide, but you also brought companions to join me in the journey, friends who will give me a little lift, a little boost with their love and encouragement at critical times. Lord, thank you for the prayers of the saints, making intercession for me today. I need all the help I can get!

God, thank you for the courage and boldness that is mine because of the indwelling power and presence of your Holy Spirit in my life. I know that all the promises you've made are mine, and they are yes and amen. They are faithful and true. They are good enough to take to the bank. And you have given me the ability to persevere, persist, pursue, and overcome in every circumstance and situation of my life. Thank you Lord for your help in time of trouble!

God, just...THANKS!

Thankful, Day Forty-Nine

2011-01-27T13:15:00.004-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting;

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

The Lord is good. That much is certain. He is good at His job as Master of the Universe. He is good in the sense of being Almighty and Most Holy. He is so very good to us, much better than we deserve, to tell the truth. He can do anything, He can do everything, none of His purposes are withheld from Him, and whatever He does, He does well!

Thank you Lord for your goodness toward me, demonstrated especially in Your exceeding patience and mercy toward me. Because I don't always walk where I should, and your sufficient grace is what keeps pulling me back in line and setting me straight. You have been forgiving and compassionate, and continue to call me Your child, correcting, gently guiding, communicating Your love and Your will to me.

Thank you Lord for your goodness toward me, demonstrated especially in Your faithfulness to hear and answer my prayers. I have laid my petitions and requests and intercessions before You, and I have believed You to answer me according to Your great goodness, and You have never failed me. You haven't failed me yet, and I know You never will. Please speak, Lord; I'm listening. But thanks for hearing and for already doing. You're way is definitely better, even if it might be harder on me.

Thank you Lord for Your goodness toward me, demonstrated especially in Your love and care for my heart, my life, my dreams and desires. You are the one who has saved me and set me on the rock of You salvation. You are the one who continues to unfold Your will plan and purpose for my life. You are the one who has given dreams and visions, who has given me the desires of my heart...both the desires and their fulfillment. You have been good thus far, and I can't wait to taste and see the future goodness of You, Lord!

Thank you Lord, for being so good!

Thankful, Day Forty-Eight

2011-01-26T14:20:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

I bless the name of Jesus Christ this morning, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we can be saved. His name is a strong and mighty tower; the righteous run into it, and they are saved. His name bids the darkness flee, opens prison doors, sets captives free. His name is faithful and true. His name is higher than any other name, and at it demons tremble and obey. At His name, every creature in heaven, on earth and under the earth will one day bow in adoration of the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. His name is Jesus today, and that means salvation! All who call upon His name shall be saved, and will in no way be put to shame.

Thank you Lord for the power of your name in bringing salvation to my life. You extended your grace to me when I was in need, your favor and blessing to me as a gift that I did not deserve. You found me as a wretched and worthless sinner and said, "I'll save you anyway, because I want to." You washed me in the blood of Calvary's cruel cross, covered me with your limitless love, and blotted out the written accusation that had been leveled against me. You have saved me, and redeemed me, and called me by your name! I belong to you, and I am forever grateful.

Thank you Lord for the power of your name in bringing healing to my body and my heart. Again today I am in need of a touch; you can make my body work the way it is supposed to and fight off the sickness that threatens me, or you can supernaturally touch me and take the sickness away. Either way, you are my healer. By your stripes I am healed. By your Spirit I am quickened and brought again to life. By faith in your name I am made whole.

Thank you Lord for the power of your name in bringing deliverance to my enslaved soul. You came to bring liberty to the captive and sight to the eyes of the blind, to bring freedom to the oppressed and proclaim the time of God's favor. You break the power of cancelled sin, you set the prisoner free, so that no bonds can hold me, no power can break me, no demon or devil of hell can defeat me. No sin can conquer me, and nothing shall separate me from your love.

Thank you Lord for the blessings of your name that you have delivered to me.

Thankful, Day Forty-Seven

2011-01-25T09:32:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Remember Andre Crouch's My Tribute? No? Let me sing it for you...well, let me tell you the words.

How can I say thanks

for the things you have done for me?

Things so undeserved,

yet you gave your own life for me.

The voices of a million angels

could not express my gratitude.

All that I am, and ever hope to be

I owe it all to Thee!

To God be the glory!

Everything I am, everything I have, is because of the grace God has given me. Every breath I take, every move I make, every heartbeat, every step--everything is due to God's matchless favor and limitless love.

God, thank you for what you're doing in my life. Thank you for answered prayer, for new vision, for more compassion. Thank you for doing what I could not do, what I didn't think could be done, what I thought would never be done. And you're not finished yet, but thanks in advance for seeing things through to the end. This is a great day to be serving you!

God, thank you for what you're doing in the the lives of others. Thank you for continuing to work, for being faithful to complete what you started, for allowing me a glimpse and sometimes even a part in the things that are taken place in others.

God, thank you for what you're going to accomplish in the days ahead, because you're people have prayed and petitioned, submitted and surrendered, interceded and waited upon you. I recognize that prayer doesn't move you, it moves us to where you are. But because of our continued efforts to move toward you, we experience more and more of what you are doing, and receive more and more from you. God, let it always be so. And please God, don't stop until this is done.

Again...thanks.

Thankful, Day Forty-Six

2011-01-24T10:14:00.003-06:00

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

It's been my observation that if kids are whiny and complaining, begging for something or throwing a tantrum to get it, I am less inclined to give in to their requests. Of course, those are other people's children, but still. I think if I had kids of my own, if they came to me with a smile and a hug and some sweet words like "Daddy, you're the greatest Dad ever!" my heart might be softened to give them whatever they want. If it's good for them.

Do you think God is the same way?

The Bible tells us to make our requests known to him, but it says to do so with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. The Bible also tells us to rejoice ALWAYS, pray without ceasing, and in EVERYTHING give thanks. Sometimes we only rejoice or praise or give thanks if things go our way. But the Bible tells us that we should be content in whatever state we are, and give thanks for it. Whether we like it or not. And starting from the premise that God is a good God, and He gives good gifts to His children, we might want to realize that whatever He does He does for our benefit and blessing, and not for our destruction.

So if you want something from God, or need something from God, start with thanksgiving. Start with some praise, like Daddy, you're the best daddy ever! Start with some rejoicing over what God has done, an even over what He hasn't done. And see how much farther that gets you. Even if you don't always get what you want, you'll feel a whole lot better about it!

Father, thank You for Your Word this morning. It is truly everlasting, living and powerful, and honed with precision to do Your work. It is life indeed, sweeter than honey, more valuable than gold, and the power of God unto salvation to the that believe! Thank You for not leaving us to our own devices, but instead you gave us Your Words of live to guide and direct our lives.

Father, thank You for Your great and precious promises. I may not have received everything I desire, nor even everything that I believe you have promised me. But I know that You who promised are faithful, and You will perform everything that You have said. You will complete everything You have begun.

Father, thank You for Your answers to my prayers. You're into details, and I can't get over how detailed this is getting. I've waited a long time, I'm willing to wait longer still, but I'm thankful that You were moving even when I couldn't see it, and working when I couldn't feel it. I'm thankful that You have finally given me a glimpse of what You're doing, and I am content.

I'm rejoicing over here! I'm thankful! And I'm gonna keep on praying and believing...because I shall receive all that God has for me.