Today I’m thankful that my Hope is found in Christ.
Isaiah 11:1-5 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might,the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy,with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
This week is officially the first week of the Advent Season. A Season filled with Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. Years ago, a pastor made this statement on the first week of Advent, “Simply put, Hope is an expectation of something better. It is the acceptance that something God said He would do will definitely take place.”
As God continues to speak His truth in my life, I continually see this same Truth come to life. It is those things that I hope for in Christ that give me reason to Thank Him. The things He promises us will come to fruition. We must never lose hope. Because our Christmas celebration is the Hope realized. Hope for the Jews and Hope for the World, all wrapped up in a little baby.
Luke 2:15-17 “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”
All we truly have is Hope in Christ. It is my hope that over these past 30 days, you have seen Christ through my journey. If you don’t know Him fully and want to know Him more, that you would ask Jesus to come into your heart and be your Savior. There are no special words, no specific methods, just a humble heart coming to the Lord saying, I’m not perfect, but I want to be perfectly yours. There is no greater Joy, Hope, and Love than that you will Receive from Christ.
Today I’m thankful that He is the Light that Shines through the darkness.
Luke 1:78-79 “Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
When you follow the Light of Christ no matter what darkness you walk into or what shadow overcomes you, the Light will always pierce through it.
Because of the Call of my Life and the circumstances I’ve had to overcome, darkness has wanted to reign in my life. However, God promised that the Light from Him will always be brighter than the darkness outside and the Light has won. It is His light that Guides me and it is His light that magnifies His Glory, I’m just choosing to Dance in the light in Worship of Him!
Luke 2:6-7 “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”
The story of Christ’s birth brings about the announcement of the promise of peace on earth and the request for love towards all men.
Luke 2:13-14 “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Even though I was blessed with an abundance of gifts at Christmas all my life, it is the story of Jesus that filled my heart and mind and the one thing that I still remember.
I picture the nativity story play we used to do at First Presbyterian in Plant City, the stacks of books I read to my brother on Christmas Eve, and each pastors sermon on the gift of Christ.
Each day of the advent I pray God will allow me to unwrap a little more of the gift and mystery of the birth of Christ and the Glory that follows. May you be filled today with the LOVE of the Christmas Story as well because it gives us the greatest gift ever given…Emmanuel….God with Us!
Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Emmanuel (meaning, God with us).”
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I thank the Lord everyday for every person He places in my life, every encouraging word you speak to me, every prayer or scripture or love sent through a text, every phone call or message left, every email, every drop in, everything you say or do for me, I’m eternally grateful.
In this thanks, I welcome you into my life, my home, my prayers and my thoughts. You are a part of the the journey and path God has for me. You are part of the beauty that comes from the ashes. God breathes life into me with your thoughtfulness. So, I give thanks for each of you.
As I sit down today and give thanks, I will give thanks for you!
Today I’m thankful that His mercies are NEW every morning.
Lamentations 3:21-23 “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Every morning I lay in prayer, mostly thanks-giving, for almost an hour. The anxieties of the night have past and a new day is upon me. It’s probably a little bit of this and a little bit of that which causes my anxieties every night, but I just sit in amazement that when I wake those anxieties are gone and His compassion for me is new.
God knows everything I’m going through, gone through, and going to go through. He has called me by name and has great plans for me. He will never leave me or forsake me and knows the woes of my heart. He is the beginning and the end and everything in between. And in the end I won’t have to have the woes of the night and the replenishing in the morning because there will no longer be night and all will be Light. Great is thy faithfulness!
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. “Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!
1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
I have to admit, I’ve learned a lot from having children, one huge chunk – being patient.
A few years ago, we were remodeling our home at the time and one day in particular I began painting the front door with oil-based, black paint. It was sticky, difficult, and looked a mess….I’m no painter. After one coat into painting, I said to my daughter, “It looks like I might need a 2nd and 3rd coat.” Then my daughter looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Mom, remember, you don’t have to be perfect.”
Out of the mouth of babes, what truth and wisdom may come.
Take every opportunity to listen to your children in the same way you want them to listen to you. They may be the voice of wisdom and discernment that God wanted you to hear. And Be thankful when they are the voice of reason because God is already choosing to use them in a mighty way.
Psalm 127:3-5 “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.”
Today I’m thankful that our Victory is found in Christ!
1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When you are feeling defeated, worn out, tired of moving forward, always remember, the fight has already been fought, the end of the book is already written…Christ won! We have Victory!
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Praying is one of my battle weapons. Praying before a problem in thanks, praying during for strength and wisdom, praying after for healing and thanksgiving depending the answer. Our prayers will always be answered, sometimes in the way we were hoping, sometimes in a way we weren’t expecting, and sometimes with a wait, but that’s what God does….He hears all of our prayers and answers them as He knows what is best.
My heart has been hurting, healing, and loving all of my life, but especially so over the last several years. It has left me wanting more of Him, to feel His presence more, to hear His voice more, to know His love more, and to know His will more. The only way I’ve found that I can have all of this and, gain peace and lose anxiousness, is to pray, genuinely and faithfully pray. To pray before I go to a human source of wisdom, to pray before I get frustrated, to Pray First. And this is how I pray: Giving thanks, asking for forgiveness, laying my petitions before Him, and allowing Him to speak. And He does!
Father, thank you that I can always come to you in prayer! Amen
John 20:11-12 “Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.”
God winks are those things that happen around you that others may like to call coincidences, but I know that they are intentional gifts from God.
On the day of the dedication of the house in Hayden’s honor in Guatemala, all the boys we had been working with reminded me of Hayden. You see, 6 months after our son passed away, I cleaned out his closet and sent a friend with a suitcase full of his things to Guatemala. 5 months later we walk into the Malnutrition Center and a bunch of little boys were wearing his clothes. It was a blessing to see his favorite things worn by children around the world, and it was a wink from God saying “I see you and I love you. Do not be afraid, do not worry, for you may not see me for a while, but I will always be around.”
I truly believe God send His angels and the Holy Spirit to constantly be around us, to protect us and assure us of His presence. Thank you God for your presence and for your special gift through a wink 😉💙❤️
I was born into a free country guarded by Democracy and military, enabling us the right to worship freely the God of the Heavens and to walk around without worrying who’s around each corner. Through this Freedom I was Free to walk into church, to open a Bible, to Hear the Gospel, and then to be Saved and made Free in Christ.
Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
This Freedom I don’t take for granted, instead I walk Boldly because the path of slavery that I was walking down took away my Hope and Joy. And this Freedom gives me LIFE and inheritance with Christ.
Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.”
Thank you to all of those that have served this country for my life and the lives of all of those around me. Thank you for my freedom and thank you God for setting me free.
John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” ❤️💙🇺🇸
Running 2 Fly 