Psalm 103 (The Message)

As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out and keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.

Have you ever said, “I feel like mud.” Well….. God had that thought about us first, and He didn’t forget it. He knows we need his “sheer mercy and grace and his rich deep love to cover our muddy tracks.”

This week I will give thanks with a heart of gratitude that God remembers that I am mud. This will make me smile as I realize how much I need to him as my Savior and my Lord. Not just for me, but for all my loved ones. Why are we surprised when we or “they” act up? We all need a double dose of His saving love.

Now that the Thanksgiving leftovers are all gone and we enter into the season of advent, may we hold in our hearts the promise of hope that He came for us so we could be washed from our muddy condition and experience the “joy of HIS salvation today.”

Gratitudes

Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.     Psalm 77 (from The Message)

When I hear the phrase “she made me feel so bad” or “he caused me to be unhappy,” I am so reminded of the scripture that says, “Lift up your eyes unto to hills; that is where your help comes from.” (Psalm 121). And, that is just the beginning! You’ll love reading the rest of this Psalm.

I am so grateful that God loved us so much that He gave us choices… the freedom to choose in this life. We can choose whom we will allow to “make us feel like… whatever.” To me, that is so powerful and so basic to having a healthy concept of “who we are in Christ.”

I have heard it said, “Imagine Christ is standing between you and everyone else, (and I added this) …then continue to relate.” I am grateful for that insight. How powerful it is to take responsibility for our own emotions and draw holy boundaries around our hearts.

As we head into the holidays of Thanksgiving, we all know it can be a struggle to always find that “Happy” part. But this year from the mouth of my 4 year-old granddaughter, Amelia Claire, the word “THANKSLOVING” trumpeted a call to my heart, “Nancy, that’s it:  ‘Thanksgiving’ is ‘Thanksloving.’”

So, today I bless you with the power to see Christ in all of your relationships.

I am grateful for my family and friends who live their lives with their eyes lifted up to the hills of His help…….

With deepest gratitude,
Nancy

Trumpets for God

In The Message in 1 Corinthians 1 it says, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God!"  How great is that!!!   So, today I pray my life will be a loud trumpet of praise to God.

My gratitude today is for the soldiers from Fairhope who are preparing to deploy. May God bless them and their families. I pray Psalm 91 over them.

I am thankful for a "spiritual reminder" of an important dream I had long ago about someone very special to me. I believe the fulfillment of that dream is drawing near. And, it will be a loud trumpet blow for God! 

How will you blow your trumpet for God today?

Gratitudes

"Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts."  -   Psalm 77 (from The Message)

I started to call this page of my web site “Devotions” — but the more I thought about this, the more I was reminded that gratitude is the best starting place for my devotion to God. And isn’t that what “devotions” are supposed to do — increase our devotion to God? They are not just to make us feel better and do better, but inspire us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind.

So, on this page you will read “Gratitudes” from me and from some of my dearest friends who are deeply devoted to God.  And, I am so honored and grateful to call them my friends. As we go along, I will introduce them to you and share some of our wonderful stories.

My first Gratitude:

Recently, my husband, Bob, built a “dream play house” for our eleven year-old friend, Frances Grace. She drew her own plans for this house. She and “Uncle Bob” talked about this house throughout her chemo treatments during her second fight with leukemia. He wanted to wait until she was strong enough to help drive a few nails.  So a couple of weekends ago it all came together. Talk about gratitude… just pure joy spilling over for everyone, family, friends, neighbors and mostly my heart.

As I wrote the lyrics to a new praise song, “May Our Praise Pour Over You,” this was my prayer:  gratitude that displays devotion.  True worship is always rooted in gratitude. How can we ever thank God enough for His amazing love poured out on us?

God gives us time. God gives us choices. God gives us grace to walk through “days of delay.” (Kirk Dearman, I borrowed that one from you).  What looks like delay to us is just HIS perfect timing bringing us to be more like Him.  Gratitude is more than just a positive attitude. It is a deep appreciation that is stamped with devotion. Today, I will find many things to be grateful for as I ask of God, like a little child, "What do I get to do with you today, Abba?"