BEING THANKFUL...

Paul is writing to the Philippians 1:3-6
  "I thank God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for you all, I always pray with joy becasue of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ."  Paul is thankful to the Philippians for their faithfulness and for their good works.  When God begins a good work in us, he will not abandon us, but will carry us through to its completion while we are waiting for the second coming of Christ.

Colossians 3:15-17
   "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing spalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Thess 5:16 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Psalm 100: 1-5
   Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is Good.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continutes through all generations."
   Once you are in the habit of giving thanks, it carries over to everything you do.  You will find yourself saying Thank you more often to each other, to family and friends.  My hubby and I always thank each other for the nice things we do for each other even if it is the tiniest thing.  It means a lot to each of us that the other appreciates and loves us.  When I pray thanking God for blessings, I always thank him for the ones yet to come and also for the "thorns" among the blessings because these make us humble and compassionate towards one another.  I am thankful for all of my cyberspace friends who are Christians that I can share my faith with.  What are you thankful for today?

I MISS WORKING....

TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO, I STOPPED WORKING PART TIME to be home with my hubby.  We have always had a special great love between us and when he became ill with Multiple Myeloma, he had terrible separation anxiety.  I was only working 3 mornings a week but when he began to call just to hear my voice when he was feeling down, I knew I just had to be home and there for him.  So why would I ever miss work?
All of us need to be productive in our lives but not for that reason either.  It is because the ride to work was always my special time with God.  The first turn of my key in the ignition ignited the spark of praying in me as I shared my worries, my joys, my pleas with Jesus and his Father.  I always started out with the Our Father prayer and then went on to pray for all those in need including my hubby.  At times I could feel Jesus beside me in the car, right there listening.  Sometimes I would sing my favorite hymns loud and strong because no one could hear me, just the Lord-Ha!  So now I need to find a special place or time when I can pray and talk to God again as the peace and strength of that faith got me through a lot of days!  I pray a lot and study the bible but there was something special about that "ride with God" in the mornings that is close to my heart.
Do you have a special place that you like to pray??  I would love to hear.

   2 Thessalonians 3:6-13  "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.  We were not idle whenn we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it.  On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did this not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "if a man will not work, he shall not eat."
  We hear that some among you are idle.  They are not busy; they are busybodies.  Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.  And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right."

   Paul's letter to Thessalonians had affirmed that Jesus could return at any time. This prompted some to quit their jobs and do nothing but wait for the second coming.  Paul then strongly warns against idleness.

   My hubby loved to work also and still would be working at 71 if only he could!  He retired twice.  After the first time, he was called back to oversee a special project and it was when he fell from scaffolding that X-rays showed the Multiple Myeloma in his spine.  So he was forced to retire again. But that does not mean he is idle.  He may not have endurance for the physical labor he was once able to do and sometimes just a walk to the mailbox causes fatigue and pain.  But when he can, he works with wood in our little shed and creates the most beautiful things......

  And God has blessed me with crafty hands that crochet, knit, sew.  I also do a few alterations for neighbors in our community.  So we each work in our own way in which we are able.  I have met so many wonderful BUSY Christians from blogging.  God is so good...