PM#0426 Give Thanks

PM#0426

Give Thanks

I Thes 5:18  says  In everything give thanks:

Phil 4: 6-7

I Thes 5:18  says  In everything give thanks:

Think about it.  That is good thought, but it is one that everyone of us has difficulty doing at times.  We see only part of the total picture.  We only understand the part that we see, but not the whole picture.  We are like a person in a forest who can only see the trees and not the whole forest.

When things are perplexing to you, we need to learn to thank God.  He sees the whole picture.  Sometimes many of us have later learned what was really happening and then we learned how our part fit into the puzzle.

What God wants is for us to keep our focus on Him as He provides opportunities and guides us through life.  When we do, we should be able to give thanks to God in everything.  He will be there with His presence and His peace.

Take time today to pray with Thanksgiving.  Do it through in Jesus’ Name.

Reflections

Why is it difficult to give thanks?  Is it because we do not see the whole picture of what has happened?

Have you ever learned something later that changed your perspective about an item that happened?

If we do not see the whole picture, shouldn’t we trust the one who does—that one who does is God?  He is the one who will guide us when we don’t know the whole picture.

PM#0471 Veterans John 15 vs 13 and Romans 12 vs 14

PM#0471

Veterans

John 15:13, Rom 12:14

Vietnam veterans were deeply hurt when protesters did not respect them. 

The protestors had forgotten that our freedoms come with a cost, one which we fought to preserve, and some gave their lives to protect those freedoms. The Bible says in John 15:13 that ‘Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”  

Yes, veterans have experienced a rejection of that love as a country. Turning to God’s way, we should forgive and find ways to bless.  Rom 12:14 says “Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.”

Fortunately, our country is now honoring its veterans.  Still, all of us who are veterans should consider this prayer:

Father, help me to continually find ways to bless my country.  I forgive those who hurt us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflection:

Why is important to honor our veterans?

What happened to our country when we did not honor our veterans?

Take a moment and consider how blessing a veteran honors them.

PM#0480 Are We Praying From the Heart?

PM#0480

Are We Praying From the Heart?

Ps44:21, Ps 37:4

When you pray, are you praying from your heart?

Many may will say answer yes, but God is the one who really knows if you are.  Ps 44:21 says God knows the secrets of the heart. 

When it comes to prayer, those secrets can affect our prayers, and if we want to see answers to prayer, there is Biblical encouragement in PS 37 verse 4 which says ‘delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart’.  Delighting ourselves in the Lord includes obeying God’s word, meditating on it, and letting it get into our hearts.

What is in our heart can affect our prayers.  If we really delight in God’s word, we will pray from our heart, and we will see answers to what you can call ‘heart prayer’.

Consider this prayer:  ‘Father, help me to delight in Your word, and may Your word be in my heart.  Thank you for helping me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.’

Reflection:

When we delight in the Lord and spend time in God’s word, what happens to our heart?

The Bible says that God’s word will accomplish that to which it is sent. See Is 55:11. Consider that God’s word will guide our heart if we spend time in God’s Word.

When God's word guides our heart, it will guide our prayers.