Thanks!!

HAPPY NOVEMBER 2011!!!

Can you even believe it is really NOVEMBER?!?! Where did the year go?!?

Although every day is a gift from our Lord, November is that month of intentional Thanksgiving. For Believers, it kicks off at Halloween as we choose to reflect on "Harvest Blessings" and the Goodness of all that God has made. Then, the fall signs and decorations appear, almost overshadowed by the Christmas season so near. Can we even take the time to be thankful?!?

In my current ladies bible study, we are studying thru the Book of Deuteronomy. One of the awareness's for me has been the revealing of God's sovereign hand and the blessings which come from our obedience and ultimately His grace. This God we serve has such love for His children and is pursuing us constantly in an effort to draw us nearer to Him.

HE is in control, I am not.  It's all You God, not me.

He IS in control, I am NOT! No matter the circumstance, I trust Your hand.

When we take the time to remember our blessings, it's easy to Give Thanks. Not the same when we face darker days where thick clouds and darkness encamp around us, limiting our vision. The world around us is so full of tragedies which we just simply cannot understand or even find logic or reason to justify in our finite and selfish minds. We sure try when tragedy strikes. I have recently been talking with God about this as I face my own personal struggles and as I walk alongside a friend of mine fight against cancer, then as I was editing this email to you just now, I received a call for prayer over a young couple who lost their sweet baby....Why God? 

Some things "we get" while soooo many others "we don't get." "Simply, He is God. The more I attempt to understand or figure out the "whys" I must be careful not to act like one of the gods who claim to know and understand the One True God. We can never comprehend the mind of God, therefore we must stand firm in faith and place our confidence in truth and worship Him, having wisdom and proper respect and faithful trust in Who He is. I am so thankful HE is the Lord God who is over ALL things in Heaven and on Earth. Who else can bear the weight of the world other than Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior? 

' I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "' You shall have no other gods before Me".

Deuteronomy 5:6

I have come to realize how FOREVER GRATEFUL I am that God is FAITHFUL...His Word is valid and true. We are also not alone. Our Great Shepherd will not abandon or forget us ...

"For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness." Ezekiel 34: 11-12

We are not God. Aren't you thankful HE IS?!? Who else can carry our burdens? Who else is worthy of such admiration and praise? Who else is as faithful as He?

As you pull out your Blessing Journal, I encourage you this month, give thanks not only for the blessings given, but also to the Blessed Giver. Reflect on His goodness. Even in the midst of "clouds and thick darkness" know He is gathering you. 

 

Father God, we praise You for Who you are. We are nothing apart from You God. We need Your strength, Your peace, Your hand to lead. Forgive us when we respond to You with conditional love in the face of Your unconditional Love. Call to mind in our spirits, all Your goodness, Who you are, what You have already done and the good things to come. May YOUE be our heart's greatest desire. May we find there is nothing we long for more than Your Grace and Love. Above all else, may we see Your Son as our greatest Good. We are sooooo thankful for the Gift of Your Love that brought us out and rescued us from an eternity separated from You. We humbly but confidently worship You in thanksgiving and praise today!! Comfort the broken-hearted, gird up the weak, loosen the bondages that strangle, give us courage in the face of the unknown. With hope, faith, joy and remembrance, Amen.

" You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and 

an outstretched arm." Deuteronomy 5:15a

Happy THANKS-giving!!!!!!!
Blessings, Michele