The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"What a Moment! (For Thanksgiving)"
What a day for giving thanks this is! What a moment! And what a lifetime and eternity await for gratitude known in the heart, expressed by our words, and lived through our life.
"Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Thessalonians 5:17-18).
It comes as no surprise that the Apostle Paul immediately follows his mandate for ongoing prayer with the giving of thanks. Gratitude constitutes the atmosphere of communion with God, be it amid times blessed, times challenging, or times that simply seem to be times. David declared, "I will give thanks unto Thee forever," an eternal prospect that began in the moment he offered it (and which doubtless now continues in the Heavenlies - Psalm 30:12). The basis for such grace involves the perpetual goodness, faithfulness, and presence of our Lord in our hearts and lives, whereby in every moment He keeps His promise that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28). Indeed, the best of times, the worst of times, and the most mundane of times in our lives flow with the current of "my times are in Thy hands" (Psalm 31:15). Thus, every moment is more than appropriate for the attitude of gratitude, which often results in "the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).
The hands that bear every epoch and moment of our lives also bear the prints of nails that confirm our Lord's complete devotion to our best interests. This includes the present moment, which offers blessed opportunity to give thanks for the "goodness and mercy" the Psalmist declared "will follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6). Look behind and see such goodness. Or look ahead to its eternal prospect. Or look by faith into the face of God as revealed in His Word right now to see how unflinchingly He works to fulfill His promised good of conforming us to the spiritual and moral image of the Lord Jesus (Romans 8:29). Yes, what a day and what a moment for thanksgiving this is! As will be all that follow forevermore...
"Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto Thee do we give thanks."
(Psalm 75:1)
"Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds by Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:6-7)
Weekly Memory Verse
Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love."
(II John 1:3)
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