Weekend Rest: Always Thankful

 "There is always, always, always, something to be thankful for."--author unknown

 

Always Thankful

-Jennifer Jones 

 

It is impossible to be unhappy and thankful at the same moment.  Thankfulness breeds happiness.

 

Psalm 28:7 -The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.

 

Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.

 

 

Psalm 95:1-6 - O Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth; The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

1 Chronicles 16:8 - Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the people.

 

 

 

1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

 

Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

 

 

Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay Salvation is from the LORD.”

 

Ephesians 5:3-4 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather  giving of thanks.

 

In everything Give Thanks-

 continually--

make today and everyday a day of giving thanks. 

 

Weekday Inspiration: A Hiding Place

by Ordie Cullison, Guest Writer

 



 I recently went through something that troubled me greatly

 and this is the song the Lord gave me to comfort me.

 

 "Surely You are a hiding place for me,

surely You are a hiding place for me.

 

The storms may come

 

and the winds they blow

 

but You are the rock within my soul,

 

I've come to know a sure and certain hope,

 

I've come to know a sure and certain hope."

 

He is so faithful and I am so grateful! --

 

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High,

 shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."  Psalm 91:1 KJV

Weekend Rest: He Cares for You

1 Peter 5:6 "Casting all of your care upon Him for He careth for you."

My mom, always a ray of sunshine in my life, taught me this song when I was about 3 years old. 

"He careth for you, He careth for you, through sunshine and shadows,

He careth for you."

I can remember her strong alto voice filling me with comfort.  Such comfort. 

Through the years the words of this simple song have carried me.

Through sunshine. 

Through the laughter.

Through the births of my children.

Through blessings.

Through shadows.

Through storms.

Through miscarriages.

Through loss.

Through bitterness of soul.

Through hurt.

It's the comfort of knowing the "He" in the song.

Knowing that "He," God, cares for us, is amazing. That "He" loves us, unfathomable.  That "He" cared enough to die for us, uncomprehendable. That "He" wants to spend time with us, awe-inspiring.  Simple but deep and true, "He careth for you."

Loved ones forsake, friends abandon, family rejects...Jesus cares, through it all. He wants us to "CAST" our cares on Him.  He knows we are but fragile humans, weak in our own strength. 

In 1900, Frank Graeff wrote the following words.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained Too deeply for mirth and song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress, And the way grows weary and long?

Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?

Oh yes, He cares--I know He cares!
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Rest assured this weekend, Jesus cares for YOU.

 "Who am I that a King would bleed and die for? Who am I that He would say not my will thine Lord? The answer I will never know, why He ever loved me so, and to an old rugged cross He'd go, who am I?"--Rusty Goodman, songwriter

Weekday Inspiration: Completeness

A complete life is the life of a child. 

A child of God never prays to be made

 aware of the fact that God answers prayer,

because he is so restfully certain that

God always answers prayer. --Oswald Chambers

I recently asked my 5 year old to pray for her Grandma who wasn't feeling well. 

We were driving in the car at the time. 

She emphatically replied, "Mom, I can't."

I said, "Why not?"

She said, "Because I need to kneel down and pray."

She usually prays anytime, anywhere, but this was a serious need,

and she felt like it required some kneeling on her part. 

I know her prayers worked. Her Grandma is feeling much better!

I came home last week from grocery shopping and my daughter met me at the door.

She said, "Mom, do you know what I was doing when you were gone?"

A little worried, I replied, "No what?"

She said, "I was walking around my room praying to Jesus."

Thank you Lord. 

In order to see God manifest in our lives, we must come to Him as a little child.

My friends may God bless you this week with completeness.