Thankfulness

Rejoice-Pray-Give Thanks

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18

When I worked as a tree climber years ago I learned that my life depended on my rope. Our ropes in those days were generally three separate cords woven together. Each cord could have held our weight but in the case of a sudden fall the breaking point of that strand was only one tenth of its load capacity. By having a rope of three woven strands we were assured that in any situation we would be held safely. In the same way God has woven together a three stranded lifeline to hold us. In the past I always carved up these verses into three separate commands, but as I read this morning I realized they are in fact three strands of just one cord in Jesus Christ.

We must rejoice because by His amazing grace He has chosen to come to us no matter how humble our place. The Bible tells us that He is not ashamed to call us brothers. He is willing to include us in His family.

We should always pray, because our Lord like a brother will always listen. There is nothing that affects our life that does not concern Him. Since He has taken the time to count the hairs on our head how can we doubt that He will help us in even our smallest struggles? Remember that He said. “Without me you can do nothing!” John 15:5

Give thanks. Ingratitude will not undo the miracle of God’s healing, but it will keep us from a close relationship with Jesus. In Luke’s gospel we see that one day Jesus healed ten lepers. They had all prayed and all rejoiced but only one remembered to say thanks.

He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Luke 17:16

The bible does not say that the other nine lost their healing or that they had sinned. But the man who was thankful was the only one who worshipped at the feet of Jesus. The three stranded rope of this man’s faith brought him all the way to an intimate relationship with Christ. Today we are just the same as any of these lepers. We all have a need for a miracle and we all can rejoice in His amazing grace, but only when we are truly grateful will we know how to worship God. He is so kind and good to us all. Will we be found at His feet today?

Good Morning

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Have you ever noticed the three different greetings we use at different times of the day. Good night more or less means “goodbye” and sometimes carries with it a thankful looking back at our shared time. Good afternoon usually is “Hi how are you?” We use this greeting rarely maybe because we are too busy doing things to stop and share our day with others.

But best of all the three is “Good morning!” We use this more often and with more meanings. It can mean, “I’m so glad to see you as we begin this day together!” We also say this as a blessing, as if to say “I wish you well as you begin your new day!” Of the three greetings this is the one most likely to begin a conversation. We are saying “I am glad to see you and how you are doing?” Whatever your reason for “Good morning!” why not try using your first greeting of the day for Jesus Christ? He is glad when we come to Him first. He is reserving special blessings for today. God delights to hear our voice and wants to share our say with Him. So why not begin today first with Him? May His voice be the first we hear the one we listen to through the day so you can look back on your shared time together and be thankful at the day’s end!

All things

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

This was a bad week for us from our small perspective. One close friend died and we got news that another couple we loved were getting a divorce. Then yesterday I was in terrible pain from a small workplace accident. We were talking about going to the emergency room but decided to pray and wait for morning. My plans seemed to have come apart and yet as my wife prayed for my badly bruised ankle a peace overtook me. In spite of all I am overwhelmed by gratitude for the life God has given. Today is the day we celebrate the birthday of our oldest son! We have each other still though 44 years to pray together as we pass through deep waters. Just like you I do not understand in the heat of my painful moments why God would allow it to happen like this but he does and then works it all together for good. Just like a corn field needs someone to plow it up then disk it down. Someone has to turn the earth upside down before it can look  good right side up! God is still and always so good!kimg0340.jpg