"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" Philippians 1:3When I count my blessings, my friends, be assured that you are chief among them.
May God richly bless you and your loved ones today and always.
Thankful Unloading the Dishwasher
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Thanksgiving can happen in the weirdest places, at the strangest times. Here's a challenge, a conviction that hit me when I was the unlucky person to find the dishwasher full of clean dishes. (In our house, that means I got to unload it.) I don't hate unloading the dishwasher. It's just one of those annoying things that has to be done. But in that moment, God challenged me to find what was thankworthy in that task. (Thankworthy- an old KJV word. Maybe we should bring it back.) So as I stacked plates, this was what I came up with.I didn't have to wash the dishes myself.
(Okay, that one was a little selfish, focusing on my personal comfort.) I gave it another go. The next one was better.
Dirty dishes means we ate. A dishwasher full of them means we ate well. Three meals plus a stray snack here and there. We're not entitled. We are blessed. I never think about my next meal except to wonder which of the various options I'm going to choose.
It's a shame and a sin how I take that for granted. Sure, we say a blessing before our meals, but I admit, most of the time I'm watching to make sure the five-year-old isn't arm-wrestling the eleven-year-old. But that morning, just me and the dishwasher, I got my perspective changed and my attitude adjusted, all before six a.m.
Now, want some fresh conviction? Go count your socks.
Has God ever challenged your view of something routine? What did you learn?
10 Things I’ve Never Given Thanks For
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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
God's will for us is to rejoice, pray and give thanks. In everything. About everything. So since we have a day set aside just for Thanksgiving, what are TEN things you've never thanked God for? (At least until today!) Here are mine.
1. My alarm clock. I have the privilege of being able to determine when I get up. Sure, I have a schedule (I've already thanked God for that one) but it's largely one of my making.
2. My running shoes. I can run without pain.
3. My desk light. I don't have to wait for the sun to come up to work, and I can work in the evenings, too.
4. Toothpaste. How many people in the world don't even have a toothbrush, much less toothpaste?
5. Color. God could have made everything gray, but He didn't.
6. People who let me put them on my speed dial. (I've been very thankful for them many times, but never as this unique group.)
7. My Facebook friends. It's a blessing keeping up with everybody.
8. Getting to teach. At church and at home. I enjoy it more than my student(s).
9. My glasses. Even if they are bifocals.
10. Having folks read what I write. That's you.
These may seem silly or inconsequential, but God blesses us every day with a multitude of favors. In the midst of all the big stuff He does for us like granting us salvation, life, and family, He fills in the little tiny spaces of our lives with little reminders of His grace. Rejoice!
Study Tip: Topical Study Resources
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I am a “verse by verse, chapter by chapter, keep it in context” type when I study, but not everyone is. You may prefer topical study. For that, try using the concordance or subject index in the back of your Bible.
A concordance lists each occurrence of a key word in Scripture. Some ‘back of the Bible’ ones are more complete than others. If you want complete, try Strong’s, Young’s or Cruden’s.
Strong’s is very complete, exhaustive even and has become the standard. There are a few things that make it difficult to use. It is arranged by the Greek or Hebrew word, so you need to know those to look words up. Also, we read in English. The word hesed in Hebrew is translated lovingkindess, mercy, love and several other ways. Then there are other words translated mercy. If you wanted to study mercy, you’d need to know all those Hebrew or Greek words.
Young’s is arranged by the English word. If you looked up mercy, it would list all the occurrences original language words translated mercy. It’s more practical for people not wanting to get into Hebrew or Greek.
Cruden’s is based off the KJV, so if you’re not familiar with its wording, this one may not help much. I use it in situations where you know the words, but don’t know where they’re found. You know, something about mercies new every morning… Oh yeah. Lamentations 3:23.
A subject index covers a limited number of topics, so it is less complete but great for a quick study.
Topical Bibles are arranged similarly but are more complete.
A Bible Dictionary can also be a great tool for a topical study. Here’s the entry from the Holman Bible Dictionary for thanksgiving.
THANKSGIVING 1. Gratitude directed towards God …, generally in response to God’s concrete acts in history. Thanksgiving was central to Old Testament worship. Sacrifice and offerings were to be made not grudgingly but with thanksgiving (Ps. 54:6; Jonah 2:9). The psalmist valued a song of thanksgiving more than sacrifice (Ps. 69:30-31). David employed Levites “to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord” (1 Chron. 16:4; also 23:30; Neh. 12:46). Pilgrimage to the Temple and Temple worship were characterized by thanksgiving (Pss. 42:4; 95:2; 100:4; 122:4). Thankfulness was expressed: for personal (Ps. 35:18) and national deliverance (Ps. 44:7-8); for God’s faithfulness to the covenant (Ps. 100:5); and for forgiveness (Ps. 30:4-5; Isa. 12:1). All creation joins in offering thanks to God (Ps. 145:10). See Psalms. Thanksgiving is a natural element of Christian worship (1 Cor. 14:16-17) and is to characterize all of Christian life (Col. 2:7; 4:2). Early Christians expressed thanks: for Christ’s healing ministry (Luke 17:16); for Christ’s deliverance of the believer from sin (Rom. 6:17-18; 7:25); for God’s indescribable gift of grace in Christ (2 Cor. 9:14-15; 1 Cor. 15:57; compare Rom. 1:21); and for the faith of fellow Christians (Rom. 1:8). 2. Epistolary thanksgiving: An element in the opening of a typical Greek letter. All of the Pauline Letters with the exception of Galatians begin with a thanksgiving. See Letters.(Holman Bible Dictionary Copyright © 1991 Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.)
Happy Thanksgiving!