Thanksliving

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

No, it’s not a typo! Rather than celebrating Thanksgiving once a year, let’s show our gratitude by Thanksliving. Thanksgiving can be a reminder for Christians to daily count our many blessings. As the old song goes, do we really name them one by one? If I were to journal my blessings, I could not find a book large enough to contain the list.

Our Lord enjoys our praises. Psalm 92:1 (KJV) says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” God inhabits praise, meaning He is in the midst of praise. How often do we just take Him for granted?

My pastor shared a quote from Shakespeare that says, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth is an ungrateful child.” He compared the serpent to the devil and the ungrateful child to God’s children who neglect to thank and praise their Heavenly Father. This really hits home. American children have been accused of developing a sense of entitlement. They believe they have a right to receive certain things regardless of whether they act responsibly or show appreciation. Perhaps we, as God’s children, are also guilty of feeling entitled to His blessings. Thankfully, He loves us in spite of our shortcomings. When we realize it is because of who He is, rather than who we are, we can come to Him just as we are and thank Him for the many showers of blessings.

AUTHOR QUOTE: So, this Thanksgiving, I’m going to work more on living a life of thankfulness. Then, I will be ThanksLIVING.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17 KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Kathy Carlton Willis, Christ-servant, wife to Russ, editor, publicist, certified CLASSeminars speaker and faculty member. Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions. Kathy’s tagline captures her essence—Light & Lively: His Reflection/Her Laughter. Schedule Kathy for a speaking event or contact her firm for promotional assistance. KCWC gets jazzed shining the light on God’s writers and speakers.

An Amazing Grace

By Marty Norman –

Who says nothing is impossible for our God! Recently I attended the wedding of an 84-year-old woman and a 91-year-old man. It was a miracle!

Both were the parents of two friends which made it even more of an honor to participate. Their story is an amazing grace, one of hope, redemption, renewal and love. What I learned from this experience is twofold: never underestimate the promises of God and never doubt the power that heals. After hearing their story you too will agree that for Jesus, all things are possible.

This, then, is their story.

Claire, 84, had been divorced for more years than she could count. Four children and an unhappy marriage, she became a career and small business woman until her retirement. Moving from home to apartment to retirement center, she was no different than many seniors as her health and hope declined. Soon after her move, she fell, was hospitalized and went downhill rapidly. Almost dying twice, she weakened to the point that she could no longer walk and was confined to a wheelchair. Dementia, as often does, crept in.

My friend, a strong believer, did not give up. Through prayer and God’s grace, she lovingly ministered to her mom and loved her as Christ loves his people. Slowly Claire began to come back. She started attending a weekly prayer group as well as a weekly Bible study. Painfully she began to walk again. A friend prayed over her prophesying that “the best was yet to come -her best years were ahead of her.” You could have fooled me by the looks of things. That kind of shows the condition of my faith.

Brad’s story was the exact opposite. A retired Army Colonel with three married daughters and numerous grandchildren he was happily married for over 60 years. He was the sole caretaker of his beloved wife, who was in ill health for many years.  After she died, he was active, bright, quick, with a great sense of humor and continued to drive and live alone, although the loneliness was overwhelming. Everyone was worried that the loneliness would get the best of him. His daughter, my friend, began to drop by to visit him in the evenings. Her loving presence allowed him to open up as never before. But he needed more. Who could have guessed what the Lord had prepared, but then we know that with the Lord, all things are possible.

One day, my two friends got together to discuss the loneliness of their parents. Since both were huge history buffs, an idea formed to take them to lunch and introduce them to one another. It was love at first sight.

An amazing transformation occurred.

Acting like teenagers, they began to date, going out to eat, laughing, joking, holding hands and talking for hours. They never seemed to run out of conversation. Five months later they tied the knot.

What an awesome experience. The wedding party consisted of her daughter and his grandson who stood with them at the altar.  Attendants were over 16 great grandchildren with numerous children, grandchildren, in-law and friends in attendance. A picture of them holding hands with the caption “We love you, Bow Bow and Dadaw!” graced the program.

It was a perfect day.

The church overflowed as many came to celebrate their joy. Handsomely decked out in their finest, they both were radiant. They stood, and sometimes sat, at the altar like teenagers. Her two sons gave her away, and her son and daughter-in-law officiated. His great grandsons did the Scripture readings. The highlight of the ceremony was an operatic recording made in 1942 by her mother, which provided the music and a teary moment for all. Truly I tell you it was a day made in heaven.

So now when people ask, I tell them nothing is impossible with our God and I share Claire and Brad’s story—the perfect witness to an amazing grace.

Marty Norman is a wife, mother, and grandmother of five, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas.  She is the author of Generation G – Advice for Savvy Grandmothers Who Will Never Go Gray. You can learn more about her at:   www.martynorman.com, http://martynorman.blogspot.com, http://savvygrandmothers.blogspot.com.

Taking Care of Fido

By Cheri Cowell –

I am one of those who believe all children should have a pet. My childhood home was filled with dogs, cats, rabbits and even a gerbil. My parents were very wise and made sure my sister and I learned how to care for each of them. We were expected, no matter how much we protested, to walk, groom, feed and housekeep our animals. We learned that having a pet was being responsible for all of their care no matter how inconvenient it was. In doing so we experienced the great joy of loving, and being loved by, our pets. It was a lesson that prepared us for other, more important things.

Just as I had to learn to fulfill my responsibilities to my pets no matter how I felt or what was happening in my life, God wants us to meet our obligations as followers of Christ no matter how we feel or what else is going on. Each of us is placed in a family, community, job and church with roles to play and duties to fulfill. It is no accident that we have these responsibilities. In accepting them, and in fact, actually embracing them, we will experience the joy that only comes to those who fulfill their God-given roles. God expects us to fulfill these roles with love for others even while we await His glorious return.

PRAYER: I thank You, Lord, for opportunities to serve others no matter how small or inconvenient those opportunities may seem. Help me see these duties as a chance to serve You by serving others in preparation for Your return.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns” (Matthew 24:45-46 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional at www.CheriCowell.com

Scratching Where It Itches

By Rhonda Rhea –

I confess I don’t have the greenest thumb on the block. As a matter of fact, I was thinking it might be easier to just give up on all other greenery and grow a poison ivy garden instead. Except that at this point I’d have to start from scratch.

Scratch? Get it? Anyway, I decided it would probably be better not do anything that rash.

That’s because we really do have to be careful what we plant. We will reap what we sow. It’s right there in Galatians 6:7. And according to the verse that follows, not only should we be careful what we plant, but we’re told if we choose to live only to please our own sinful selves, we’ll reap a harvest of death and decay. I think I’ve grown that kind of plant before. But when we’re talking about what we’re growing spiritually, we’re talking about an especially ugly garden. Eternally worse than poison ivy. Don’t even bother with the weed-whacker. Round-Up won’t cut it either.

Take a look at the passage: “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith” (Galatians 6:7-10 NLT).

I love how Paul rounds out his point in verse 9 with the big “so.” “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.” He lets us know that the harvest kind of thinking and learning to live to please the Spirit instead of the flesh leads to staying energized in doing good things for the Kingdom—to not give up. And that leads to a harvest of everlasting blessing.

Our gardening time here is short. We need to stay on task. Second Timothy 4:2-5 charges us to “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (NIV).

Instead of catering to the poison-ivy-itchy-ears of those who simply want the easy way, and instead of letting them distract us, we’re called to keep our heads and to steadfastly keep on working in whatever ministry God has called us to. The passages in Galatians 6 and 2 Timothy 4 are the kinds of sound-the-charge verses we can put to memory. They can remind us all along the way to stay tenaciously resolute in our service. It’s then that we can become more and more the kind of Christ followers who don’t just tickle itchy ears, but truly scratch those eternal itches.

So, ready to write down those passages? First you’ll need some scratch paper.

Rhonda Rhea is a radio personality, conference speaker, humor columnist and author of seven books, including High Heels in High Places and her newest book, Whatsoever Things Are Lovely: Must-Have Accessories for God’s Perfect Peace. You can find out more at www.RhondaRhea.org.

Are You a Wet Blanket on the Spirit?

By Julie Morris –

As Thanksgiving approaches this year, let’s look at what the Bible says about giving thanks. God commands us to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and in the next verse He warns us what will happen if we don’t—He says, “Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire”  (1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIV).

What He’s saying is that we will be a wet blanket on the Holy Spirit’s work within us if we don’t give thanks—and our spiritual, physical and emotional health will suffer. But this isn’t the once-a-year type of thanks. It’s daily thanksgiving.

Let’s look at the awesome things that the Holy Spirit does in us and what may happen if we’re a wet-blanket on the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit produces the delicious fruit of the Spirit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and (last but not least!) self-control (Ephesians 5:21-23 NIV). If we put a wet blanket on the Spirit by not giving thanks, we might find ourselves producing rotten fruit. As you read the list below, place a check next to any rotten fruit that you’re producing:

• Hatefulness instead of love
• Depression instead of joy
• Fear instead of peace
• Impatience instead of patience
• Rudeness instead of kindness
• Meanness instead of goodness
• Inconsistency instead of faithfulness
• Gruffness instead of gentleness
• Undisciplined lifestyles instead of self-control

As if rotten fruit weren’t enough, if we don’t give thanks, we’ll also be a wet blanket on our spiritual gifts. That means that we either won’t have these gifts or we’ll use them wrong. Here are some examples:

• Teachers will be impatient.
• Leaders will dictate.
• Givers will throw money away indiscriminately.
• Mercy-givers will try to “fix” people.
• Evangelists will cram truth down the throats of unbelievers.
• Helpers will get mad if people don’t appreciate them.

If we don’t give thanks, we’ll be a wet blanket on other things that the Holy Spirit does in us. Here are here are just a few examples:

• · The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26 NIV).
• · The Holy Spirit gives us power. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NIV).
• The Holy Spirit fills us with hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

This Thanksgiving, make a life-changing decision to give thanks every day… in everything—no matter how challenging your circumstances— so that you won’t be a wet blanket on the Spirit at work in you.

Julie Morris (Julie@guidedbyhim.com) is the author of 12 books, a dynamic speaker and founder of two Christian weight-loss programs—Step Forward (www.stepforwarddiet.com) and a lighter and easier version of Step Forward—Guided By Him to a Thinner, Not So Stressed-Out You! (www.guidedbyhim.com).

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