Thinking of Thanks

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. – (Philippians 1:3, NLT)

I thank God every time I remember you. – (Philippians 1:3, ERV)

Whenever you cross my mind, I thank my God for you and for the gift of knowing you. – (Philippians 1:3, VOICE)

 

This has been a summer overflowing with connections to those dear to me. Near and far, friends and family have celebrated with me, as I have stepped into this beautiful new season of married life. Every message, conversation, card or phone call has brought a flood of memories of the blessing that each have been in my life. The overwhelming theme of this summer is gratitude, as I cannot help but stand in awe of the blessings He has poured out upon us, especially through the gift of people He has placed in our lives. My heart is full, and I am ever giving God thanks for the gift of knowing those whom He has brought into every avenue of my life. May we ever give praise to our Provider for the people whom He places on our path.

 

All thanks be to God, 

For the treasure found;

In knowing such love,

Where friendships abound.

For each is a gift,

From God up above;

Granted to us all,

By His lavish love.

Each time I recall,

The treasure of you;

I thank God again,

For His blessings true.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we are created for relationships. Thank You for the gift of people that You place in our lives. Thank You that You bring people from all walks of life into our world to show us more of Your heart. Forgive us for not giving You glory for all of the good You bring to us through the people You place on our path. Teach us to recognize the gift of those around us, daily, so that we would celebrate them and glorify You. Show us how to love in a way that demonstrates our gratitude for the gift that people are in our lives. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You gratitude for the gift of great people whom You have placed in our lives. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth (Moreno) Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name. – Psalm 100:4

May We Ever Praise

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His Name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation. – (Psalm 100:4-5, NLT)

 

God is good and His love never fails. He is faithful forever, and deserves all of our thanks and praise. There are days, however, when giving thanks is not necessarily the nearest and dearest thought to our hearts. When sickness strikes and plans change, it can be easy to lose sight of the goodness of God. I am overwhelmingly blessed with both a mother and grandmother that model what it is to give thanks, regardless of circumstance. Thanksgiving has been a favorite gathering time for my mom, my sister and her family, and me and my progeny. This year, my mom has a horrible cold virus and does not have the energy to travel across the mountains and an additional few hundred miles south to my sister’s home. It will be the first Thanksgiving in several years that we have not all been together to give thanks. Rather than mope and feel downcast, (though I am certain she is bummed as are we) my mom has chosen to bless us in spite of her absence. I woke to a sweet message from her, with a note that a gift that will help keep me alert as I drive is on the way. (Oh sweet Starbucks love!) She is choosing to focus on His goodness and demonstrate His faithfulness, and remind each of us, that regardless of circumstance, there is always reason to praise. May we each go forth with thanksgiving, recognizing His goodness and faithfulness, as we share of His unfailing love with each new generation forever.

 

As we all gather,

Both from far and near;

Let us be thankful,

For how the Lord hears.

Because He is good,

May we ever praise;

Our faithful Father,

For all of our days.

Be not dependent,

On life’s circumstance;

But by His great love,

May our souls choose dance.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we are able to enter Your presence with thanksgiving and praise. Thank You that You are good and that Your unfailing love continues forever. Thank You that You are faithful to each generation. Thank You for the faithful women in my life that model for me, thankful hearts who give out of the abundance of Your love. Forgive us for not giving You thanks and praise for who You are, and help us to rise up and recognize that our reason for thanks unto You is not circumstantial. Show us how to love others in such a way, that they may see Your faithfulness and goodness through our love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You our thanks and praise because You are good and Your love lasts forever. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. – Psalm 145:8

Enter With Thanksgiving

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His Name. – (Psalm 100:4)

Before Christ came, people had to go to the temple to be in the presence of God. To truly present their thanks, praise and offerings, they had to physically go to the temple courts and partake in a rigorous routine. Today, we can enter His gates with thanksgiving and go into His courts with praise, any hour of any day. Christ dwells within our very own heart, if we choose only to invite Him in. When we give thanks to God and praise His Name, it is as if we are in the throne room itself, because of God with us, through the Holy Spirit. Because we are blessed as believers to have Christ with us at all times, we always have reason to give Him thanks and praise. May we choose to rise up and enter His gates with thanksgiving and go into His courts with praise, not for what is going on around us, but for who He is within us.

May each heart enter,

His gates full of thanks;

go into His courts,

to offer God praise.

For this is a space,

found within our heart;

as we recognize,

where the throne room starts.

We need not look far,

for the Lord is near;

our help and our hope,

each prayer He will hear.

All thanks be to God,

give praise to His Name;

for He is so good,

let our hearts proclaim.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can enter Your gates with thanksgiving and go into Your courts with praise directly, without having to travel far, nor participate in rigorous rituals to be made right before You. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, who made the way for us to be seen as clean before You. Thank You, Jesus, for bearing all of our sin and shame, so that we could be viewed as acceptable and worthy to worship before You. Forgive us for taking the magnitude of Your sacrifice for granted, or for not giving proper thanks and praise unto You. Teach us to have hearts that overflow with thanksgiving for who You are, as You alone are worthy of all thanks and praise. Lead us to love others in such a way, that they too, may find reason to offer thanks. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be exalted O God, as we enter Your gates with thanksgiving and go into Your courts with praise. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

For the Lord your God will bless you, …and your joy will be complete. – Deuteronomy 16:15

Tether Our Hearts

Today, my reading plan had me reading both Exodus 6-8, and Luke 23. Though there were many individual verses that I could have highlighted, the thing that stood out to me the most, was the way in which both Moses and Jesus chose to remain faithful to their calling in captivity. Moses, was appealing to Pharaoh for the people of Israel to be set free to go into the desert to worship, and Jesus was being held after His arrest, as He was bruised, beaten and tried six times before various courts – none of which could find Him guilty, in obedience to be the sacrifice for all of our sins.

 

In both portions of scripture, God had called each to a specific task. For Moses, he was being asked to lead a nation out of captivity when the ruler of the nation paid no regard to his requests. Jesus, was being asked to bear the weight of the world on His shoulders, as He knew the pain He was called to endure. Neither story seemed to go smoothly. Both bore the burden before them, and endured enormous adversity to ultimately arrive in the place to which they had been called. This can be a bit overwhelming, yet completely encouraging, as we know that in all things, God is faithful to those who trust in Him. Though we may not see what He is doing in the midst of adversity, we can trust that He has a plan and a purpose for everything that we endure, and that He will utilize each trial and triumph for our ultimate good. May we hold fast to our hope in Christ alone, as He is faithful to walk beside us, be it in trial or triumph.

 

When life surrounds you,

forced captivity;

choose trust in the Lord,

to keep your heart free.

For only in Christ,

is true freedom known;

set free from our sin,

where His grace is shown.

Though often unseen,

His purpose is clear;

to love each of us,

as we choose draw near.

Let us seek the Lord,

no matter what comes;

hold fast to the truth,

Christ, the faithful One.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You have given us great examples of those who have endured tremendous trials by depending on You. Thank You that no matter what comes our way, Your presence is promised, and Your hope is secure. Thank You that You are faithful to remain with us, even when we are unaware of Your presence. Forgive us for our fears and faltering faith when the fight becomes too much, and teach us to tether our hearts and minds to You alone. Give us Your eyes to see things through an eternal perspective, so that we may remember that all that is in the here and now is only temporary, yet that which is yet to come, is forever. Lead us to love intentionally, just as You so purposefully and completely love each of us. May many come into a saving relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we hold fast to You, in all things and at all times. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalm 23:6

Peace through Prayer

image by MaryLu Tyndall

God needs no production

but wants a heart that’s true.

Prayer should not be a show,

He longs to hear from you. (us)

In honesty alone,

we need find quiet place,

to be real before Him,

so we may sense His grace.

When we shift our focus,

from self unto our God;

His peace overwhelms us,

into His courts we trod.

(Responding to Matthew 6:5-6)

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You do not need, nor want, a show or production when we pray.  Thank You that You desire our hearts to be honest and true before You, in quiet humility.  Thank You that as we remove our focus from ourselves and fix our eyes securely on You, Your grace and presence overwhelm us.  Forgive us for allowing our focus to fix on anything other than You.  Lead us by Your love, to learn how to be in constant communion with You.  May many come to know You through the peace that we present in Your love.  Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present