Day 359 - Merry Christmas

"It is Christmas Day! When we woke up I stayed in bed and prayed for a while and read the Bible and then went down where everyone was. Breakfast was in full swing and the smell of bacon was in the air."

This was the ideal Christmas morning. It started with prayer and the Word and then for breakfast was bacon. Anyone who has been to our men's ministry meetings at our church knows that there is a special place in a man's heart for bacon. Even the vegans chant 'bacon' with us though they won't partake. 

As much as I love bacon and Christmas and the fun of family and friends it is nothing compared to my love for the Lord. I am amazed at the care and sacrifice Jesus gave for me. He gave everything! 

I think about Jesus in Heaven, looking down on the earth and the corruption of sin. The Father knew from the beginning what had to be done. He ordained Jesus as His Son, the only begotten, and sent Him to earth on a rescue mission. Jesus had a human body that started as a fetus and became a baby in the womb of Mary. He was born through the natural process. His first breath was probably laced with the smell of animal urine and feces. Here he was in a manger. Surrounded by the animals He had created. 

Quite different than our Christmas with the smell of breakfast and the laughter of family and friends. Here was the one who named the stars and stretched out the heavens contained in a human form. It is a mystery and yet altogether wonderful in every sense of the word. 

Lets purpose to take a moment in the midst of the sights and smells of the festivities and remember our Humble King who came to save us. He sacrificed it all so that we could be his children and brought to life. Express the gratitude of your heart in prayers and celebration for all He has done. 

What are your favorite Christmas sights and smells? What are some ways to stay grateful? 

Day 331 - Gratitude

For today's thoughts from last year I thought it best after reading my journal to offer some leftovers on the day after Thanksgiving. Instead of starting with the quote today I will end with the quote. Feel free after reading it to offer some thoughts of your own in the comments section. Enjoy. 

"We have so much to be thankful for. First of all for Jesus and His blood. For open invitation to the feast at God's table and new mercies every morning. For the rising of the sun to setting of it God gives us beauty in life. In family and friends at the table. In divine appointments and graces we wouldn't have known until after we experienced them and looked back at the fingerprints of God all over it."

Day 330 - Thanksgiving

"Today was supposed to be light and easy."

Thanksgiving. I often picture the Norman Rockwell paintings of a dad setting the turkey down in front of his family. Everyone at the table is happy. They all are dressed well and look like the meal they are about to share will only reflect the perfect lives they are already sharing. It looks effortless. 

That picture doesn't look like my Thanksgiving. There will be turkey (and ham and spaghetti and enough food to feed a small army) and the family will have that wonderful moment when we are all around the table with our plates piled high with food and we pray and thank God for our many blessings. Where we stray from the picture is the before and after. 

It takes a massive effort to do Thanksgiving. There are a minimum of three stores just to get the one meal. There are plans and conversations about menu, arrangements, timing etc. there is cleaning of dishes, kitchen, table, dining room, kids toys around the house since parents told them to go play while we clean and they went and made a mess. 

All that would be enough without the added stress of relationships and trying to keep the family together in love. You know what I am talking about because you experience it too. It can be hard to keep it together and the ones closest to you can hurt you the most. You endure it though because they are family. 

If you look at your Thanksgiving table and it looks more like the battle scenes from Braveheart than the Norman Rockwell paintings it is okay. I would venture to say that most of us have felt like that or do feel like that. You are not alone.  

Keep some things in mind as you prepare to be with family: 1) They are your family. 2) God loves them and you can let His love work through you. 3) it is worth it in the end. 

It may mean you have to bite your tongue while biting into that turkey. You might have to work alone to clean because no one is picking up your hints at needing some help while they talk and laugh. Love and family are worth it all. 

Let's count our blessings and be grateful we have Jesus and that we have each other. 

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? What are you thankful for?

Day 307 - The Right Answer

"[My son] told me that when Jesus would heal him that he would say thank you every time." 

That was the right answer...for all of us. It is a common courtesy to say thank you when someone does something for you or gives something to you. And yet it seems at times that gratitude is a lost art. We should be the most thankful people because we have the most to be thankful for. We also should be the most expressive people. It unlocks something for us as well as those we are thanking.

Jesus pointed this out when he healed ten lepers and only one returned to say thank you. The one that returned was a Samaritan. Jesus even pointed this out too saying that only a foreigner came back when all ten should have been there. 

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday this month don't let it be the one time a year you say thank you to God and the people you do life with. It takes time and effort but it encourages others and shows your appreciation when you say thank you. 

Accept the command to give thanks always and in every situation. Meet the expectation of the One whom we are most indebted to give thanks to. Say it, pray it and show it with your life. 

How are some ways to say thank you? What are you most thankful for?

Day 133 - Pleasing God

"Ultimately the goal is to be pleasing to God and if I'm pleasing people I've got the wrong direction."

Everyone likes to be liked...right? It isn't a bad thing to be respected, loved and appreciated. Unless that is your motivation. We ought to please God rather than man. 

In a day and age of political correctness and tolerance we have watered down our morals and let into the church and our lives things that shouldn't be there. If we were aiming to please man at all costs this would be okay. Our aim, however, is not to please man it is to please God. 

There are things we can easily see that are pleasing to God. Obedience is one of them. Jesus was pleasing to God and modeled it through obedience to the will of the Father. We can imitate Christ and know that we are pleasing to God. 

Thanksgiving is also pleasing to God. Think about it, we like it when we are thanked and appreciated for what we do. How much more God?! 

Love is pleasing to God. God is love and He loves us with an undying love. When we operate in God's love back to God and to other we are pleasing to Him. Let's make it our aim to please Him in all we do!

Why do you think obedience is pleasing to God? What else do you see in the Bible that is pleasing to God?