Sometimes, seeing the sun come up is the most beautiful thing. When it has been a hard night, it can be quite refreshing to see the sunrise. I see the sunrise as God's mercies being renewed for yet another day. Today is the first day on the road to recovery for my wife. She underwent a major surgery on yesterday to remove cancer from her breast. Today is bittersweet because everything yesterday was very smooth- but today the pain of recovery begins. Yesterday was a time of great adulation because God had answered so many petitions! Today, we begin a journey together back to wholeness and towards healing.
To say that God works in mysterious ways is a bit of an understatement. We have no clue what God is doing sometimes. He tells us in Isaiah 55 that His ways are higher than out ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I am a firm believer in that. His ways, his decrees, his thoughts toward us, his love, his grace, his mercy, his longsuffering, his beauty...all of his attributes are truly incomprehensible. Our finite minds are not equipped to fully understand God. But, God is so merciful that he will allow us glimpses at his awesomeness, especially during a trial.
Yesterday, I saw the love of God on display. The pastor (Mike Wilkinson) from Grace Presbyterian church came out to pray with us before Danielle was wheeled back into surgery. That's not so grand in and of itself, she's his physician and they have a very good repoire, but while he was praying, the nurses and the anesthetists joined in. They stopped what they were doing to pray also. His deacon, Ken Moore, who also has a heart of gold, drove him here. He said they would be here at 7:15AM. I happened to look at my phone at 7:13AM and by the time I put the phone down, they were both walking through the door. Love is what love does.
There is this tall, slender, cocoa skinned lady at our church that usually handles the CD production. She was drafted into service in the Audio ministry by another sister who has been faithful over the years that I have been there. Her name is Lameka and she is a breast cancer survivor. I had never held a conversation with her, until yesterday when she showed up here at 6:15AM to support Danielle through her surgery and to offer encouragement for the days ahead. Lameka showed me that there are some very strong, Christian people that do not necessarily live lives in the spotlight. She's very quiet and unaassuming but she is also the type of person that can be the glue that holds entire families together. Love is what love does.
I had already hinted to my own pastor, Edward J. Nettles of Freewill Baptist Church, that I understood his schedule and his prayers were enough. He has been battling his own illness and I know that early morning hospital visits can take a toll on him. My words to him were, "your prayers will be enough." I did not want to trouble him when I know that his health has not been the best in recent times. When they relocated us to the lobby, who pops in to make sure that everything is ok? Pastor Nettles. He could have stayed in his bed but he decided to come and check on us. Love is what love does.
Myoshi Mumfield is a person that God has blessed with the gift of giving. She would give you the shirt off of her back. When the kids' stomachs started growling because they had been awake for several hours without breakfast, she whisked them away to McDonald's to get something to eat. She stayed with us ALL day and gave her own day up. She kept us laughing and was a great presence in the lobby. Love is what love does.
When all of the company had left and I was in the room alone with my wife, the nurse, Ms. Juanita comes in and says to me, "Son, you need to eat. Come with me." She escorted me to the cafeteria and bought my dinner using her points on her employee ID. Love is what love does.
All of the text messages and the calls and the prayers of the righteous let me know that I was not laboring in prayer alone. Love is what love does. To all of you that thought enough to call or text, thank you.
My family showed up, Danielle's family showed up but when people show up that don't have to show up and when people do things that they don't have to do expecting nothing in return...that's love. Love is an action word. Yesterday was a day that God proved his words that he would never leave us nor forsake us. So, what about the morning after? I have NO DOUBT that those words still ring true. God hasn't moved off his throne since yesterday and he will not forsake us today or forever. There are some painful days ahead. There are some tears ahead...but there is also hope ahead. The hard days will be handled in faith, not in fear. The tears will eventually be turned into joy. God will get the glory from all of this. God will get the praise from all of this. And we will move on to face more days and mornings after when God's mercies are renewed. Thank you God for showing yourself mighty and thank you for being here in the midst of the storm. If you are in the middle of your own storm, God is right there. Jesus is standing on the bow of the boat talking to the winds and the waves. Rest in the understanding that God is an ever present help in times of trouble. He will be there for you in the day of trouble but He will also be there the morning after.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Usable
I have been using the Bible app by YouVersion for my Android and it is safe to say that I LOVE IT! Today, I began a three day study of humility. Humility is a quality that is best shown and not talked about. 1 Peter 5:6 tells all Christians to humble themselves under God's mighty hand and when it is time for us to be exalted, God will exalt us. If there has ever been a contrast between what God desires and something that God hates, it is the contrast between humility and pride. Pride says simply, "I can do this without God." Humility, on the other hand, says, "I can't do anything without God." The study today gave three scriptures which I have listed below:
Numbers 12:3 "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth."
2 Samuel 7:18 "Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?"
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
These three scriptures give us a glimpse of who God uses and what God desires. God uses those that are humble. The one that does not think that God owes them but simply counts it a blessing for their name to be called by God. The one that does not feel qualified but understands that God calls and qualifies. The one that does not think that they are special but understands that God is the one that bestows favor and gifts. These are the characteristics of a person that is humble. Paul says in Galatians that if anyone thinks that they are something when they are nothing is deceiving themselves.
The proud person, on the other hand, looks at God as if God owes them something. They feel that they deserve every blessing and should be exempt from every trial. They feel as if God needs them. Acts 17:24,25 says clearly that God does not need anything from anybody. We are not "helping God out" rather we are agents of HIS will and He does as He pleases. A proud person is headed for destruction because when we live in pride, we forget that there is God in heaven that not only created us but demands our obedience. Pride causes us to obey ourselves rather than obey God.
Can God use a proud person? Absolutely. A proud person can be used to be made an example, as Nebuchadnezzar was, as Balaam was, as Ahab was and as Eli was. Nebuchadnezzar built his golden image and was later made to eat grass like a cow because of his lifted up heart. Balaam had to be saved by his donkey because of his pride and his manipulativeness. Ahab caused the entire land of Israel to live under drought because of his pride and that of his wife Jezebel. Eli thought that he could let his sons defile the priesthood and never pay the consequences.
A proud person can also be broken, as the apostle Paul was or even the apostle Peter. Both men were full of themselves, however Peter just happened to be a disciple whereas Paul was a Pharisee that was converted to Christ. Jesus said that a time would come where people would kill the disciples and think that they were offering service to God. Does this not describe Paul to the letter? His zeal for Judaism caused him to beat Christians, be complicit in their murder (see Acts 7 with Stephen's stoning) and throw Christians into prison with glee. Paul even had a letter to imprison Christians when he was headed to Damascus; but he met Jesus and his life changed. He was broken. He was given a thorn in the side that God would not remove. Peter thought he had it all figured out until he stepped onto the sifter. He said with his proud mouth that he would follow Jesus to the cross and yet he watched from a safe distance. He even denied being a follower of Jesus to the most insignificant people in society at the time, servants. He too had to be broken and his denial and trial (see Luke 22) was the medicine that Peter needed to heal him of his pridefulness.
Jesus gave us the best example. He washed his disciples' feet. He performed this gesture not to show that he was less than than them, but that they too must humble themselves in the same way that He did. He said to all that labored to come to Him and learn from Him because he was meek and lowly in spirit. Jesus even humbled himself to die the death of a criminal although he was innocent of sin AND He was God in the flesh- yet he didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. He who knew no sin became sin for our sakes so that we might become the righteousness of God through Christ. He is our model, Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the Alpha and the Omega. He displayed humility all of his human life, never once succumbing to the sin of pride. Let us learn from Him and live lives submitted in humility to the Creator, Almighty God.
Numbers 12:3 "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth."
2 Samuel 7:18 "Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?"
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
These three scriptures give us a glimpse of who God uses and what God desires. God uses those that are humble. The one that does not think that God owes them but simply counts it a blessing for their name to be called by God. The one that does not feel qualified but understands that God calls and qualifies. The one that does not think that they are special but understands that God is the one that bestows favor and gifts. These are the characteristics of a person that is humble. Paul says in Galatians that if anyone thinks that they are something when they are nothing is deceiving themselves.
The proud person, on the other hand, looks at God as if God owes them something. They feel that they deserve every blessing and should be exempt from every trial. They feel as if God needs them. Acts 17:24,25 says clearly that God does not need anything from anybody. We are not "helping God out" rather we are agents of HIS will and He does as He pleases. A proud person is headed for destruction because when we live in pride, we forget that there is God in heaven that not only created us but demands our obedience. Pride causes us to obey ourselves rather than obey God.
Can God use a proud person? Absolutely. A proud person can be used to be made an example, as Nebuchadnezzar was, as Balaam was, as Ahab was and as Eli was. Nebuchadnezzar built his golden image and was later made to eat grass like a cow because of his lifted up heart. Balaam had to be saved by his donkey because of his pride and his manipulativeness. Ahab caused the entire land of Israel to live under drought because of his pride and that of his wife Jezebel. Eli thought that he could let his sons defile the priesthood and never pay the consequences.
A proud person can also be broken, as the apostle Paul was or even the apostle Peter. Both men were full of themselves, however Peter just happened to be a disciple whereas Paul was a Pharisee that was converted to Christ. Jesus said that a time would come where people would kill the disciples and think that they were offering service to God. Does this not describe Paul to the letter? His zeal for Judaism caused him to beat Christians, be complicit in their murder (see Acts 7 with Stephen's stoning) and throw Christians into prison with glee. Paul even had a letter to imprison Christians when he was headed to Damascus; but he met Jesus and his life changed. He was broken. He was given a thorn in the side that God would not remove. Peter thought he had it all figured out until he stepped onto the sifter. He said with his proud mouth that he would follow Jesus to the cross and yet he watched from a safe distance. He even denied being a follower of Jesus to the most insignificant people in society at the time, servants. He too had to be broken and his denial and trial (see Luke 22) was the medicine that Peter needed to heal him of his pridefulness.
Jesus gave us the best example. He washed his disciples' feet. He performed this gesture not to show that he was less than than them, but that they too must humble themselves in the same way that He did. He said to all that labored to come to Him and learn from Him because he was meek and lowly in spirit. Jesus even humbled himself to die the death of a criminal although he was innocent of sin AND He was God in the flesh- yet he didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. He who knew no sin became sin for our sakes so that we might become the righteousness of God through Christ. He is our model, Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the Alpha and the Omega. He displayed humility all of his human life, never once succumbing to the sin of pride. Let us learn from Him and live lives submitted in humility to the Creator, Almighty God.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Are You Kidding Me?
The climate in the country towards "entitlements" has been hostile to say the least. The hostility mainly results from the belief that Blacks are the main recipients of these "entitlements" or "handouts" or "social programs". The right has come up with so many euphemisms for programs designed to help those that are less fortunate that they have almost exhausted the thesaurus. They have held on to those code words that they like to use to retain some semblance of political correctness.
So I'm browsing the news on my phone and I run across this article about the bus monitor that was bullied, Karen Klien. I haven't watched the video because I think that it is reprehensible for anyone to abuse an elderly person. That shows a total lack of respect. I think that the kids should be severely punished and their parents need to make them do community service for their dirty deeds.
The purpose of this article is not to lambast the young men. They did something very stupid and in today's instant video culture, it got onto YouTube and went viral. What I want to bring attention to is the fact that someone set up a website for Mrs. Klien and began accepting donations for her to "take the vacation of a lifetime." The article is here (Karen Klien Trust Fund). The fund is up to $700K and to top it off, the primary source for the article is none other than FOX News!
This is the same network that has been the most vociferous against "entitlements" and yet they see nothing wrong with this "entitlement" here. That's odd. This woman has said that she plans to buy cars for her grandkids with this money and yet the pundits at Fox say nothing...but if a single mother collects an assistance check to buy food for their child, that's an entitlement. Maybe Desmond Hatchett should start a website and take donations (for those that do not know, Desmond Hatchett has 30 kids by 11 women and is seeking assistance from the state of Tennessee for child support).
I think that it was a very nice gesture for the Canadian man to set up this website but I don't really see the need for taking donations up for Ms. Klien. Yes she makes a very small salary but there are folks in inner cities making equal or less that she makes and they are the enemy of the right wing because they are seen as a liability. I think that Ms. Klien should donate all of the money to charity or at least what is left of it after she takes her vacation. It's funny because, and this is only my opinion, if the person was in dire need of funds and asking for money to pay a bill or something like that...they would probably get lambasted for looking for handouts. Fox, as usual, sits in the place of the hypocrite but you won't hear them admit that.
So I'm browsing the news on my phone and I run across this article about the bus monitor that was bullied, Karen Klien. I haven't watched the video because I think that it is reprehensible for anyone to abuse an elderly person. That shows a total lack of respect. I think that the kids should be severely punished and their parents need to make them do community service for their dirty deeds.
The purpose of this article is not to lambast the young men. They did something very stupid and in today's instant video culture, it got onto YouTube and went viral. What I want to bring attention to is the fact that someone set up a website for Mrs. Klien and began accepting donations for her to "take the vacation of a lifetime." The article is here (Karen Klien Trust Fund). The fund is up to $700K and to top it off, the primary source for the article is none other than FOX News!
This is the same network that has been the most vociferous against "entitlements" and yet they see nothing wrong with this "entitlement" here. That's odd. This woman has said that she plans to buy cars for her grandkids with this money and yet the pundits at Fox say nothing...but if a single mother collects an assistance check to buy food for their child, that's an entitlement. Maybe Desmond Hatchett should start a website and take donations (for those that do not know, Desmond Hatchett has 30 kids by 11 women and is seeking assistance from the state of Tennessee for child support).
I think that it was a very nice gesture for the Canadian man to set up this website but I don't really see the need for taking donations up for Ms. Klien. Yes she makes a very small salary but there are folks in inner cities making equal or less that she makes and they are the enemy of the right wing because they are seen as a liability. I think that Ms. Klien should donate all of the money to charity or at least what is left of it after she takes her vacation. It's funny because, and this is only my opinion, if the person was in dire need of funds and asking for money to pay a bill or something like that...they would probably get lambasted for looking for handouts. Fox, as usual, sits in the place of the hypocrite but you won't hear them admit that.
Monday, June 18, 2012
The God of a Second Chance
Wow, it does not seem like it's been two weeks since I last posted anything but it has. I have a legitimate excuse however, I've been on vacation. My wife took the entire family to Hawaii. She saw an advertisement for a medical conference in Hawaii at a new Disney resort and it was on from there. All she has to see is Disney and we are booked before you can say Mickey.
Hawaii is a beautiful place. Mountains jutting up out of the sea, blue skies and crystal clear water as far as the eye can see. I couldn't help but be in awe of the breathtaking scenery and the lush vegetation. The grass seemed greener, the trees a little healthier and the flowers a little perkier. Let's just say that if the cost of living was not so exorbitant we would pack up and move there immediately.
Disney's resort, Aulani, was beyond excellent. If there is one thing Disney does well, it is customer service. If you can think of it, they have already thought of it and have it available to you. Condensed milk on top of shaved ice, done. Warm towels at poolside, done. Lifeguards every 10 feet along the Lazy River...done. Greeters/rovers to come and check on you while you bask in the sunny Hawaii climate...done. The atmosphere is the closest thing to perfection that is earthly possible. That's why it costs so much! The high cost aside, you will be hard pressed to find a company that caters to its customers more than Disney.
En route to the resort, I had the opportunity to witness to several people. On the flight from Atlanta to Phoneix, I met a young man and his sister and had a chance to witness to the young man about Christ. On the flight from Phoenix to Hawaii, I sat next to a former youth minister and had a chance to witness to him as well. I didn't really ask him why he wasn't a youth minister anymore, I was simply trying to plant seeds. Most of my mornings at the resort were spent lounging in a chair under an umbrella reading my bible and praying. Because of this, I met several interesting people, namely, a gentleman from Cleveland who had recently lost his wife. He spoke to me on one morning that I was reading and we hit it off from there. We spent the next few days chatting about life and taking turns making sure that the kids that were with us were ok, taking them on the water slide and watching them swim. There were others that I had a chance to interact with and it was awesome. We are constantly told that there are not many Christians in the world and that the world has become increasingly atheistic but what I realized is that there are a lot of people that believe in God, they just don't necessarily know how to get to him.
We even had a chance to attend church while we were there. Makakilo Baptist Church was a great place and the love of God was on display. A couple invited us for coffee after church and they had never seen us before! They simply wanted to show love to the visitors. The message was excellent from Pastor Jon and I was geared up for bible study on Tuesday night but something came up.
All of this leads me to my main point. Why am I talking so much about witnessing? Shouldn't this be about uploading pictures and about eating pineapples? Well it would be if I didn't want to share a deeper message here. My trip to Hawaii was a second chance. A chance at redemption because I had failed miserably at being an effective witness for Christ shortly before we left to go on our trip. I was giving a seminar at Alabama State to incoming freshmen and I was talking to them about their spiritual welfare. I had a slide in my powerpoint that talked about the only way to have a future is with Christ. Well, when I got to that slide, which was one or two slides from the end of the talk, I skipped it. I talked to the students about going to church, praying, reading the bible, etc. but when I got to the slide about Christ, I skipped it. Witnessing MUST be about Christ since He is the essence of the gospel message. Why would I do such a thing? Honestly, I don't have an answer for it, but afterwards, I felt like I had failed God. I was quite distraught.
I prayed and asked for forgiveness and what did God do? He opened the door for ministry with just about everyone that I met on my trip! It was totally amazing and I would not have seen that unless I had reflected on my mistake, my prayer for forgivenss and my prayer for a second chance. God granted me that second chance because of His grace and His love. To anyone reading this that has screwed up something, anything, and you feel like you have failed God, there is a second chance waiting for you too. God is slow to anger, abounding in love and ready to forgive us when we repent of our mistakes and turn back to Him. He gave Peter a second chance even after Peter denied Christ three times and would, only from a distance, watch Christ be riduculed and mocked before he was ultimately crucified. Although Peter failed miserably as a disciple, and even DURING his ministry had some issues with being free in Christ (Galatians 2), God did not simply hang Peter out to dry. That is good news for those of us that are striving to be a good witness for Christ, those of us that struggle with finding the right moments to witness and those of us that want to serve God with everything in us. I prayed for God to open a door for ministry (Colossians 4:3) and He did. I prayed for a second chance and God gave it. He will do the same for you as well. Grace and Peace.
Hawaii is a beautiful place. Mountains jutting up out of the sea, blue skies and crystal clear water as far as the eye can see. I couldn't help but be in awe of the breathtaking scenery and the lush vegetation. The grass seemed greener, the trees a little healthier and the flowers a little perkier. Let's just say that if the cost of living was not so exorbitant we would pack up and move there immediately.
Disney's resort, Aulani, was beyond excellent. If there is one thing Disney does well, it is customer service. If you can think of it, they have already thought of it and have it available to you. Condensed milk on top of shaved ice, done. Warm towels at poolside, done. Lifeguards every 10 feet along the Lazy River...done. Greeters/rovers to come and check on you while you bask in the sunny Hawaii climate...done. The atmosphere is the closest thing to perfection that is earthly possible. That's why it costs so much! The high cost aside, you will be hard pressed to find a company that caters to its customers more than Disney.
En route to the resort, I had the opportunity to witness to several people. On the flight from Atlanta to Phoneix, I met a young man and his sister and had a chance to witness to the young man about Christ. On the flight from Phoenix to Hawaii, I sat next to a former youth minister and had a chance to witness to him as well. I didn't really ask him why he wasn't a youth minister anymore, I was simply trying to plant seeds. Most of my mornings at the resort were spent lounging in a chair under an umbrella reading my bible and praying. Because of this, I met several interesting people, namely, a gentleman from Cleveland who had recently lost his wife. He spoke to me on one morning that I was reading and we hit it off from there. We spent the next few days chatting about life and taking turns making sure that the kids that were with us were ok, taking them on the water slide and watching them swim. There were others that I had a chance to interact with and it was awesome. We are constantly told that there are not many Christians in the world and that the world has become increasingly atheistic but what I realized is that there are a lot of people that believe in God, they just don't necessarily know how to get to him.
We even had a chance to attend church while we were there. Makakilo Baptist Church was a great place and the love of God was on display. A couple invited us for coffee after church and they had never seen us before! They simply wanted to show love to the visitors. The message was excellent from Pastor Jon and I was geared up for bible study on Tuesday night but something came up.
All of this leads me to my main point. Why am I talking so much about witnessing? Shouldn't this be about uploading pictures and about eating pineapples? Well it would be if I didn't want to share a deeper message here. My trip to Hawaii was a second chance. A chance at redemption because I had failed miserably at being an effective witness for Christ shortly before we left to go on our trip. I was giving a seminar at Alabama State to incoming freshmen and I was talking to them about their spiritual welfare. I had a slide in my powerpoint that talked about the only way to have a future is with Christ. Well, when I got to that slide, which was one or two slides from the end of the talk, I skipped it. I talked to the students about going to church, praying, reading the bible, etc. but when I got to the slide about Christ, I skipped it. Witnessing MUST be about Christ since He is the essence of the gospel message. Why would I do such a thing? Honestly, I don't have an answer for it, but afterwards, I felt like I had failed God. I was quite distraught.
I prayed and asked for forgiveness and what did God do? He opened the door for ministry with just about everyone that I met on my trip! It was totally amazing and I would not have seen that unless I had reflected on my mistake, my prayer for forgivenss and my prayer for a second chance. God granted me that second chance because of His grace and His love. To anyone reading this that has screwed up something, anything, and you feel like you have failed God, there is a second chance waiting for you too. God is slow to anger, abounding in love and ready to forgive us when we repent of our mistakes and turn back to Him. He gave Peter a second chance even after Peter denied Christ three times and would, only from a distance, watch Christ be riduculed and mocked before he was ultimately crucified. Although Peter failed miserably as a disciple, and even DURING his ministry had some issues with being free in Christ (Galatians 2), God did not simply hang Peter out to dry. That is good news for those of us that are striving to be a good witness for Christ, those of us that struggle with finding the right moments to witness and those of us that want to serve God with everything in us. I prayed for God to open a door for ministry (Colossians 4:3) and He did. I prayed for a second chance and God gave it. He will do the same for you as well. Grace and Peace.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Molly and Dan by Genesis Russell (my 6 year old daughter)
Hi! I'm Molly and I have a friend named Dan. Today went to go get ice cream. The next day went to the park. After that we had cheese sandwiches. Mom made them. Then we went to the movies and had popcorn. And then I went back home and went to bed.
NOTE: I only edited for punctuation, not for spelling- she spelled all of her own words. :)
The Joy of the Lord
This post is not meant to be deep or philosophical. It is simply meant to give thanks to the Great I AM. Sometimes, when I sit back and think about how wonderful God is, how good He has been to me and the fact that He loves me- I get overjoyed and my heart gets full. I just want to take sometime to thank Him right now!
I thank God that He is the only One that is able to keep me full of joy, living in His joy and continually smiling although circumstances look bleak.
I thank God for His joy being my fortress (Nehemiah 8:10) even when I want to weep unceasingly.
I thank God for cleansing me of all unrighteousness and giving me the ability to fellowship with Him through Jesus!
Thank you Jesus for entering into the heavenly tabernacle and doing for us what no one else could do.
Thank you Jesus for shedding Your blood in the place of the blood of bulls and goats so that not only are we clean on the outside but also clean on the inside- with renewed hearts and renewed minds.
Thank you God for being so awesome and mighty that you can speak an entire universe into existence and yet tender enough to live within me and and incline your ear to me.
Thank you Jesus for being the mediator between God and man, for closing up the chasm that sin placed between us, for being the bridge to complete fellowship with our creator- You alone are worthy of our worship.
Thank you Jesus for putting my heart at ease with the words, "Be of good courage, I have overcome the world." I now understand that my present sufferings cannot compare with what you have prepared for me and the glory that awaits all of us that put our trust in you!
Thank you God for putting people in the lives of myself and my wife that are great encouragers, great exhorters, great listeners and that love us unconditionally. The Word of God says that there is peace in a multitude of counselors.
Thank you God for sparing my life and commissioning me to preach the gospel, to be a servant to others and to love your people without judging them.
Thank you God for the Word that gives me hope, that my faith is tied to and that gives me comfort when I encounter things that I don't understand.
I could continue writing and thanking God, and I probably will continue to give thanks through my prayers when I conclude this post- I am overjoyed right now because of the undying fellowship that I have with the Father, through the Son and maintained by the Holy Ghost. You are truly Awesome God and your ways are unfathomable. Thank you for being You and moreover, for loving us! If you want to thank Him, go right ahead. We are on the same page.
To God be the glory forever and ever, Amen.
I thank God that He is the only One that is able to keep me full of joy, living in His joy and continually smiling although circumstances look bleak.
I thank God for His joy being my fortress (Nehemiah 8:10) even when I want to weep unceasingly.
I thank God for cleansing me of all unrighteousness and giving me the ability to fellowship with Him through Jesus!
Thank you Jesus for entering into the heavenly tabernacle and doing for us what no one else could do.
Thank you Jesus for shedding Your blood in the place of the blood of bulls and goats so that not only are we clean on the outside but also clean on the inside- with renewed hearts and renewed minds.
Thank you God for being so awesome and mighty that you can speak an entire universe into existence and yet tender enough to live within me and and incline your ear to me.
Thank you Jesus for being the mediator between God and man, for closing up the chasm that sin placed between us, for being the bridge to complete fellowship with our creator- You alone are worthy of our worship.
Thank you Jesus for putting my heart at ease with the words, "Be of good courage, I have overcome the world." I now understand that my present sufferings cannot compare with what you have prepared for me and the glory that awaits all of us that put our trust in you!
Thank you God for putting people in the lives of myself and my wife that are great encouragers, great exhorters, great listeners and that love us unconditionally. The Word of God says that there is peace in a multitude of counselors.
Thank you God for sparing my life and commissioning me to preach the gospel, to be a servant to others and to love your people without judging them.
Thank you God for the Word that gives me hope, that my faith is tied to and that gives me comfort when I encounter things that I don't understand.
I could continue writing and thanking God, and I probably will continue to give thanks through my prayers when I conclude this post- I am overjoyed right now because of the undying fellowship that I have with the Father, through the Son and maintained by the Holy Ghost. You are truly Awesome God and your ways are unfathomable. Thank you for being You and moreover, for loving us! If you want to thank Him, go right ahead. We are on the same page.
To God be the glory forever and ever, Amen.
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