Practicing Thankfulness

I am 100% certain that I am not the only person who feels the presence and blessings of God in my life.  Yet I talk to people or hear people all the time who say that they don't hear from God or they don't "feel" God.  This always leaves me in a quandary because I KNOW God is there; He is the common denominator.  The other denominator is the individual involved.  And, yes, I can remember when I wasn't so conscious of God's goodness and faithfulness.  I suppose it was not until I needed Him, BIG, in my life that I recognised that He was there all along.  What changed?  My pursuit of Him, of His peace, of His presence changed for me.  And that changed everything.

I'm not sure where you are on your journey with God today, but I can promise you this....God loves you and wants to be in relationship with you.  He wants you to know that He cares and He wants you to rest in His presence.  This is no easy task because it flies in the face of pride.  Our pride tells us that we can do life on our own; we don't really need any help.  God tells us we can do life much better if we surrender it to Him and let Him guide and lead us.  It really is a simple concept, yet so hard for so many of us to grasp. 

I've found that I can be assured of God's presence in my life as I seek Him and thank Him.  I'm truly amazed at the frequency in which He shows up as I do this.  And I'm even more aware that I'm the only one keeping Him at bay.  As my focus and thoughts toward, and of, God go, so my day and my life goes.  I read this in my "Jesus Is Calling" devotional today and I want to challenge you with it as well.  It is written as if Jesus is talking directly to us.  "When thankfulness flows freely from your heart and lips, let your gratitude draw you close to Me.  I want you to learn the art of giving thanks in all circumstances.  See how many times you can thank Me daily; this will awaken your awareness to a multitude of blessings.  It will also cushion the impact of trials when they come against you.  Practice My Presence by practicing the discipline of thankfulness."

I will never be the most brilliant person in the world; maybe not even in the room, but I will always be the one Jesus loves.  How do I know?  Because He has promised His love to me and He is faithful.  My gratitude for His love brings me in close proximity to Him.  He is always with me.  When we seek Him with all our heart, we will most definitely find Him.  He said as much in His Word.  I'm just blessed enough to believe Him and respond to His promise with gratitude.  You can too.  It will really change everything. 

Soaking up the "Son"

It's bright and early on this 1st day of July in 2012 and I'm having my coffee...iced.  It's quiet delightful to enjoy the quietness of the morning and set my mind on things above.  It's much easier to do so before the world and it's distractions come rushing in.  A friend recently gave me Sarah Young's devotional, Jesus Calling.  I'm reading today's devotion and it's just perfect.  I thought I'd share it with you.  She uses her own words to paraphrase scripture and writes as though God were talking directly to us.  He always is, isn't He?

The following is based on scripture from Psalm 48:9; Deut 33:12; Psalm 37:4.  I know you will want to check out those bible addresses so God can further speak to you!

I AM LIFE AND LIGHT IN ABUNDANCE.  As you spend time "soaking" in My Presence, you are energized and lightened.  Through communing with Me, you transfer your heavy burdens to My strong shoulders.  By gazing at Me, you gain My perspective on your life.  This time alone with Me is essential for unscrambling your thoughts and smoothing out the day before you.

Be willing to fight for this precious time with Me.  Opposition comes in many forms: your own desire to linger in bed; the evil one's determination to distract you from Me; the pressure of family, friends, and your own inner critic to spend your time more productively.  As you grow in your desire to please Me above all else, you gain strength to resist these opponents.  Delight yourself in Me, for I am the deepest Desire of your heart!

Really enjoy this day the Lord has given us and, "Soak up the Son"!

You Are Accepted - In Christ

When we believe in Christ and invite Him into our hearts, we become someone new.  We are not the old person.  Unfortunately, we don't always know who God says we become when we make the decision to believe in his son, Jesus.  We have to study God's word to see who He says we are and we have to start living in our new identity.  Over the next few weeks, I will be taking a look at several scriptures to see what our God says about us.  He says we are accepted, secure and significant through belief in Christ.  Let's start with a scripture that tells us we are Accepted:

In Christ - We are Accepted
In the Gospel of John, he is intent upon telling us who Jesus is.  John 1:12 concludes that "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." NIV 

We are accepted by God through our belief in His Son Jesus Christ.  When we believe in His name, we become children of God; we become accepted.  We need never fear rejection again.  We are completely and eternally accepted as a child of God when we believe in Jesus.  Who we are determines what we do, and God wants us to know that we are His children.  I love the way my Freedom In Christ Bible puts this.  It says that believers are not in the process of becoming children of God; they are children of God who are in the process of becoming like Christ.  Do you truly believe in and follow Jesus?  If you do, then you are a child of God.  Believe it and rest in the assurance that you are His.

Who are We?

I've loved having extra time to read, study, pray and worship since my job was eliminated.  Me and God have been hanging out together and, I tell you, I am so relieved that I am never alone.  Neither are you - if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you have invited Him into your life and heart and asked Him to be your Lord and Savior.  The bible gives us truths about who we become - Who We Are - when we believe and walk with Christ.  Knowing and living out these truths can be a game-changer in a believer's life. 

I discovered this cool graphic art thing called Wordle and I entered words and phrases that support what scripture says about who we are IN CHRIST.  It created a cool word graphic to remind us of these important truths.  I also got the idea that people would benefit from knowing just what the bible says about our position in Christ.  I study this really awesome bible that's called the Freedom In Christ Bible and it is packed with nuggets of truth and insight that help us get to know God for who His is and to understand who He says we are - In Christ.  The bible gives us scripture and truth that says We Are Accepted, We Are Secure, and We Are Significant - IN CHRIST.  In future days, I hope to give specific scripture and expound upon some of these phrases and truths found in God's Word.  For now, I hope you can view my Wordle graphic.  If not, I've put it onto my main home page. 

I look forward to talking more with you about your identity in Christ!  Until then, know that you are never alone.  I don't know about you, but that gives me great joy and comfort.