Thanksgiving

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100: 4-5

Let us not be like the 9 out 10 lepers who failed to thank Jesus for healing them: let's thank him right now for saving us and making us whole in Him. Let's give him the sacrifice of a thankful heart.

Blest Be the Tie That Binds

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Apraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Gal. 3:26-30

Our Saturday Group just finished the study of Galatians, and it reminded me of a song we used to sing in church:

"Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
Our comforts and our cares."

I thank the Lord for brothers in Christ, who bring companionship and encouragement to life's journey.

Reconciled to God

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconcilliation. 2 Cor. 5: 17-19.

I think I get this now. The world doesn't really think it needs reconciling to God, because it doesn't want God. Amazingly we demand justice in daily lives, and can't stand any "sinning" against us in word or deed by anyone; and we won't be reconciled to our injurerer until they've completely made amends, and even then maybe not.

But when we sin against God, we don't feel that same obligation to be reconciled with Him. Apart from Christ's sacrifice for us, we couldn't offer enough righteousness anyway to gain that reconciliation. What possible gift can a man offer to a righteous God that can gain him communion with that Almighty?

Yet another thing to be thankful for! We are reconciled to God through Christ.

Contentment

Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance...
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.
Psalm 55: 1-2,6

Thank you Lord, for making me thirsty for you. You have given to me abundantly all that I need. May I always feast at your table.

Trust and Obey

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth. For I have said, "Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens Thou wilt establish Thy Faithfulness." Ps.89: 1-2

The Lord's nature is love, and all we have to do is simply act on that truth by trusting his word. Like the hymn, we must "trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

I am thankful today for His faithfulness and lovingkindness, that never changes throughout the years, it's forever.