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Thank You Lord; For Our Many Blessings!

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We Have Much To Be Thankful For!

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Give Thanks Unto the Lord!

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Heart of Praise

Look Back so you can Move Forward

1 Samuel 12:24 NKJV 
"Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you".

Lately; I find that I have been reading quite abit about the life and times of Samuel. It's pretty fascinating. If you haven't already read it - you should. It's completely full of all kinds of wisdom. I'll give you the short version of the story and then you can go back and fill in the gaps on your own.

It's starts out with his mother "Hannah" who was a barren woman- unable to have children. Hannah was married to Elkanah - who had another wife named Peninnah. Penennah wasn't very nice to Hannah. She had a couple of children by Elkanah already, but since Hannah did not she thought that made her better than Hannah.

Every day Hannah went down to the Temple  ... crying, starving herself to death etc. etc. because she can't have a baby. One day she decides that she will try and strike a bargain; cut a deal, with God and so she promises Him that if He would give her a son then she would give it back to Him and never cut his hair.

Though God really isn't in the bargaining business - He gives her a son (Samuel) and in due course Hannah takes the baby to the Temple and drops him off to be raised by the Temple Priest named Eli. Because Hannah kept her end of the bargain God ends up given her a whole lot of children.

Well; Eli (the Temple priest) had two sons - who were just completely awful people that eventually they get what is coming to them in a hair raising battle- so exciting! Eli- who by then is old and blind hears of his sons deaths and falls off  of his seat, breaks his neck and dies. 

Samuel  - who grew up to be a righteous man - steady, kind, reliable (all the things that a good man should be) then became the Temple priest, a Prophet of God (God spoke to Samuel of thing to come) and eventually went on to be the Judge of Israel.

The story doesn't stop there; in fact, it gets even better. Samuel's has children of his own. He appoints his two oldest sons (Joel and Abijah) to be judges of Israel also but they end up being two completely horrible men that stir up all kinds of trouble ... but you'll have to read that for yourself.  ~wink ~

The point I want to focus on today is found in 1 Samuel 12:24 - Samuel reminds the people to take time to consider what great things God had done for them. Taking time for reflection allows us to focus our attention upon God's goodness in the past and strengthens our faith in the present and in the future.

Sometimes we are so "problem" or "what's going to happen in the future" oriented that we fail to take time to recall all the good that God has already done in our lives. We forget all of the bad times that God has seen us through. We forget all of the blessing that He has already given us.

Remember what God has already done for you so that you may continue your life with the purpose of gratitude already established in your heart. This same God that has taken care of you thus far is the very same God that will take care of you now and into the future.

Thank Him!
 

Thanksgiving History

The Thanksgiving Proclamation-
George Washington


3 October 1789

By the President of the United States of America: a Proclamation.

"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor--and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me `to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.'

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks -- for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions--to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.


Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789".

George Washington

Thanksgiving – The Day
 
Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day October 3, 1863


"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth".

Abraham Lincoln

A Thanksgiving Day
by B. F. King


O Lord, with humble hearts we pray
Thy blessing this Thanksgiving Day

And ask that at table place,
Where grateful folk say words of grace,

That Thou will come to share the yield
Thy bounty gave to farm and field.

We pray thy love will bless, O Lord,
Each hearth, each home, each festive board;

And that Thy peace will come to stay
Where candles glow, Thanksgiving Day.
Amen

Today I am Thankful For

On This Day; I am Thankful For:

Forgiveness & Forgiving!

This past week found me being taught a lesson that, to be honest, I didn't really care to learn and certainly could have lived without (by my then standards) It was a lesson on truly forgiving someone that has wounded you deeply.

We often; as Christians, talk about forgiveness and for the most part I believe that we as the many membered body of Christ manage to pull it off quite well. But there are times when finding forgiveness in your heart is all but impossible to do. You want to. You try to. But somehow that forgiveness that you are trying so desperately to get a firm hold on manages to elude you and it's frustrating.

Resounding loudly in your spirit you hear the words "Forgive as Christ forgave you" but try as you might you just can't seem to really and truly do it. If you think about the ~wrong~ then you really haven't forgiven. If you talk to another about the ~wrong~ then you really haven't forgiven. If this ~wrong~ seems to continue to be the focal point in your prayers then you really haven't forgiven. What you are is looking to quickly be vindicated and that just isn't how the Lord works. (vengeance being His and all that).

Finally; with a broken (former proud and haughty spirit) I found my way to the Throne Room of Grace and told the Lord that it just wasn't within my power to forgive this. I have never been one to be able to hold a grudge and at 52 years old I did not want to begin now. I wanted to go back to the same loving person that I was before this event occurred and simply pretend that it never happened. But I couldn't; no matter what I did. I didn't like this person that I had become in less than a week. I want my life back! I wanted my self back!

The magnificent thing about the Lord is that when you shut up long enough for Him to be able to get a word in edgewise that He actually has quite alot to say about love and forgiveness. He should; being that He lived His whole life and then died based on the principles of love and forgiveness.

The thing about forgiveness is that if your heart is so full of love, full of grace, full of mercy, full of God then there is no place in to hold malice, vengeance, grudges and all of the awful things that the Enemy would prefer to see in there. There is just no room for it. The Lord can and will stuff your heart so full of wonderful feelings that you think that it can not possible hold any more and then He'll still continue to stuff more great things in there. Majically; as He is filling your heart with love, compassion, mercy, grace and all of the warm and fuzzy feelings that there are to have then pretty soon you discover that you have just walked off and left behind those awful feelings that had tormented you. It just doesn't matter anymore.

It isn't easy and it doesn't happen over night but I found that the more that I was willing to cooperate with the Lord to bring about a change in me then the quicker the changes began to take place. Just saying ...

There will be times during the course of your life things are going to happen that are painful, that don't make sense, that aren't fair. People are going to hurt you and they are going to let you down. Sometimes these things will be done accidentally and sometimes these things will be done on purpose. Regardless; don't let then hold you back and don't let them change who you are. You may not always be able to find it within yourself to forgive someone but the Lord is always ready to step in and show you how and sometimes even supernaturally do it for you.

So; I start this week off as a better person than I was the week before and I thank God for these chances (no matter how painful they are) to grow as a person, grow as a Christian and put into practice at least a few of the things that the Bible speaks of.

Thank You Lord!

“Let your beauty be found in “the hidden person of the heart,
with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in the sight of God.”
1 Peter 3:4

Today I am Thankful For

On This Day; I am Thankful For:

Our Country!



Dearest Beloved Abba Father,

Today, as Americans, we have been given the opportunity to start fresh. A new dawn under our leader President Barack Obama. It doesn't matter who voted for whom; Mr. Obama is our President- the leader of this once great nation- that can be a great nation again.

I ask My Lord that you guide President Obama in all that he sets his hand to. That you strengthen him and infuse in him to the very innermost core of his being with righteousness, grace and mercy. That he will lead us into a future that is greater than the past we leave behind. That he will; as our forefathers have done, lift our nation up to the very pentacle of greatness and restore her to glory.

Help us my Beloved Lord to put aside our difference so that we may love one another because of or diversity; as it is that diversity that makes us greater than the sum of just one person. Help us to value our resources and to waste not in all areas of our lives. Help us to treasure all the wondrous things that this planet provides lest they  vanish tomorrow under our thoughtlessness.

I ask Lord with a humble heart that you weaken the evil and strengthen the righteous from one end of this planet to the other. That good will rise up and triumph over bad so that freedom continues to ring not only in this great Nation we call home but every nation that aspires to live Godly lives.

It is only through Your Grace and Your Mercy that the United States of America still stands as the greatest place in this world. Continue to bless us though we are undeserving of Your divine favor.

It is in Your Mighty Name Jesus and under Your Shed Blood that I pray all these things and more.

Amen and Amen!

Dearest Reader

Dearest Reader,

As I awoke this morning and set down at my computer to decide what I would post today on my Blog I found, instead, my mind wandering to the list that I need to make for our Thanksgiving celebration.

My daughter and I combine each of our family meals for Thanksgiving and in addition I also make a smaller meal for just my husband and I to munch on through the weekend as we trim our Christmas tree. So; I must make two separate lists- the list of food to make to take to her house and the list of food to make to keep here at my house. Sometimes it can be a little maddening and I have been know in the past to mix up the two lists and end up bring food that my daughter has already prepared thus giving her a double portion of one thing and missing another. As I said; it can be a little maddening to keep up with.

As I turned my eyes away from my computer screen to focus on my list making; again, my mind began to wander and instead focus on all of the things that I have to be thankful for. Of course family and great friends top the list along with having a roof over my head, plenty of food to eat, heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, clothing and so on. But these are the things that Jesus Christ promised us anyway in Scripture and naturally we are thankful for these things that He promised us. But He never stops there; does He?

No.

He always goes beyond the simple things (that we so often take for granted) and even when He blesses us in ways that should completely knock our socks off .. then too we seem to take a ~mmme, whatever~ attitude about it. We get spoiled. It happens.

I am guilty at times of having wonderful things occur in my life that instead of falling to my knees and Praising God for them at the instant it happens I am too busy twirling around in excitement and diving in to enjoy that particular blessing. Giving my thanks for it seems almost an after thought- not the main focus. Shame on me.

I have decided that from now through the remainder of this Thanksgiving season that I will post a list of questions "Today I Am Thankful For"  that I hope will have us really examine our day and see all of the beautiful ways that God has blessed us over and beyond the things that He has promised us in His Word.

I hope you will join me each day and share your daily ~blessings~ as well. You can post your response in the "Comment" section or keep them private on a piece of paper on your desk.

God Bless You Dearest Reader as we focus this month on our many, many blessings.
Much Love;
~Lazzy~

“Let your beauty be found in “the hidden person of the heart,
with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in the sight of God.”
1 Peter 3:4

What Does the Holy Word Say?

What Does the Holy Word Say?Bible Word Study

~ Safely Home ~

When our days are filled with sorrow
When there seems no hope for tomorrow,
Jesus lead us through the fire,
And lead us safely home.

When our way is filled with stones
And we feel so alone.
Jesus lead us through the fire,
And lead us safely home.

When cloud and rain appear, and we see no sun,
Clear our way and light our path. Show us you're the only one,
Jesus lead us through the fire,
And lead us safely home.

When we can't see the difference from friend or foe,
Direct us with your mighty hand and show us where to go.
Jesus lead us through the fire,
And lead us safely home.

When we finally leave this world and meet on heaven's shore
Cease our tears, still our fears, and banish our worries so we can rejoice forever more.
Jesus lead us through the fire,
And lead us safely and finally home.


BIBLE QUIZ


1. In 1 Chronicles, we are told to give thanks to the Lord, call on His name and make known what He has done. Where do we make this known?
1 Chr. 16:8


2. Thanks be to God because He gives us what through our Lord Jesus Christ?
1 Cor. 15:57


3. According to 1 Thessalonians, when are we to give thanks?
1 Thess. 5:18


4. We are to enter the Lord's courts with praise and His gates with what? Ps. 100:4


5. For what are we to give thanks for God the Father according to Ephesians 5?


6. In the NIV, in Luke 14, what 4 places did the master tell his servant to gather folks to come into his banquet?
Luke 14:15--24


7. Do you know where this Passage of Scripture can be found?

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time"
(It's found in 2 Timothy 1:7-9)


8. If we are ashamed of Jesus and His words, what did He say He will be of us, when He comes in His glory?
Mark 8:34-38


9. Did you know that the Bible speaks of God's creation praising him? Well, it does.
It says in Isaiah 55:12 that the_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _ will burst into song, and that the _ _ _ _ _ * _ _ _ * _ _ _ _ * _ _ _ _ _ will clap their hands.


10. Do you know where this Verse can be found?

"Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned".
(It's found in James 5:12)

How many different words can you make out of this one word?

~ THANKSGIVING ~


QUOTE

"The greatest proof of Christianity for others is not how far a man can logically analyze his reasons for believing, but how far in practice he will stake his life on his belief".
-T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)