Terri's Wellspring

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’) Isaiah 7:14

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. The words reflect the great anticipation of Jesus’ birth. It expresses a great desire for God’s Son to come and to dwell among His people. I am so thankful that each day we have the opportunity for God to live with us and in us through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. We know that the promise in Isaiah was fulfilled and Jesus was born and He died and rose again for our sins. What an awesome gift that God is with Us!

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15

Another holiday of Thanksgiving with all of the feasting with family and friends is behind us. While the holiday is officially over our expressions of thanks and gratitude to our Faithful Father should be a part of our daily living. His praises should continually be in our hearts and on our lips. We are a blessed people in countless ways to experience His Goodness, His mercy and His love. Every day we can tell the Lord how thankful we are for another day. Even when the days are difficult we can pray His word – Lord, I am thankful that by your stripes, I am healed. Lord, I am thankful that the plans you have for me are for good and not for evil. Lord, I am thankful that you said you would not give me more than I can bear. Lord, I am thankful that you would never leave me alone. We can give thanks in all things and His praises be a part of our everyday lives.  Let’s continue in Thanksgiving!

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. Psalm 100:4

Our God is worthy of our praise and our attention. We often live so busy. Our days move at a fast pace that may seem unstoppable. Taking time to recognize God for who He is in our lives. Small choices can sometimes make the difference. Start the day with prayer, listen to something inspirational in your car, and enter your office dedicating the day and the work of your hands to the Lord. Keep praises on your lips, play gospel music softly when you can. Stay in the attitude of prayer throughout the day. Bless HIS name.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  I Thessalonians 5:18

Approaching life through the powerful lens of gratefulness is a blessed way to view our lives.  We have so much to thank God for.  We sometimes take for granted the many blessings that keep us through the night, that wake us up each morning and to start each day.  Blessings great and small are extended to us throughout our lives.  No matter what we are experiencing, we have something that we can be thankful for.  In fact, when we are struggling to find that “something”, it is a good time to turn our thoughts to gratefulness.  Redirecting our focus from our problems to God’s blessings has a way of transforming our mindset from concerns and worries toward having faith.  It is hard to think of God’s goodness to us, past and present and not be thankful. God’s promises to provide for our needs as we walk and trust in Him.  Keeping a heart of thanks blesses us along the journey.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.  Psalm 100

Our God, Our Father and Creator is worthy of our Praise. Just think of His goodness to us to bless us with the amazing creation of our bodies and to give us even a portion of life, health and strength. It is a blessing.

As we follow Jesus, His word, His teachings, His Holy Spirit, He promises to guide us, to protect us and to be our Shepherd, as we belong to Him. We are His people and the Sheep of His pasture. What a place of safety, a place of provision and a place that we can count on no matter what is going on around us. We can be thankful to be a member of the flock. We are so thankful for this blessing and that His love and care for us endures forever.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice!  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:4-7

The season of Thanksgiving is upon us. What a special time to remember God’s blessings in our lives and to our share our blessings with others! I am so thankful for our Faithful Father who is always available to listen to our prayers. We can express our needs through prayer but as this passage says we should thank Him for all He has done. Our God has
already done so many wonderful things in our lives.

As I have been reminded, over the last two months, the blessings of life, health and strength are to be treasured. We can be thankful for the gift of each day. We can appreciate God’s miraculous creation of our bodies and honor them with the care of rest, nutrition and exercise. We can even be assured that as we approach each day that our faithful Father will be with us every step of the way. We thank God for what He has already done, this day and the days to come.