Hi friends,

How are you? Are you getting together with family for Thanksgiving celebrations?

I feel like this last year has been bringing me back to remembering to be thankful. Scripture shows us that when God remembers us, that word is used in connection to how He moves on our behalf. When we remember what God has done on our behalf, we should be moved to thankfulness. Our thanks is an act of worship. As our societal holiday affords us the time to stop to celebrate and remember to be mindful of what we have to be thankful for, we have the opportunity to call others’ attention to God by giving testimony of what He has done and is doing for us.

Christians are blessed. Life doesn’t always go the way we anticipate or hope for, but God is always working behind the scenes, providing in ways we can’t always see or understand, and His ways are always good.

I am reminded of the woman who was willing to share her last bit of flour and oil with Elijah during a long drought. She was expecting to starve to death, but God replenished her flour and oil, without fail, until the drought came to an end. She and her son were cared for day by day, just as God had provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness (1 Kings 17:7-16).

Have you read about the widow who cried to Elisha because her sons were going to be taken by her creditors and made into slaves? Elisha told her to gather empty containers from the people she knew and to take the only thing of value that she had–a jar of oil–and pour the oil into the empty containers. As she did so, God multiplied what she had, and she was able to sell the miracle oil to pay her creditors with money to spare so that her sons remained with her (2 Kings 4:1-7).

And what about the times Jesus took 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish, and multiplied them, and fed thousands of people! (John 6:1-14)

When King Amaziah paid 7,500 pounds of silver to Israeli mercenaries to go to war with him, God sent a prophet to tell him not to go. Amaziah asked what he was to do about the silver he had paid, and God’s response was that he had much more than that for Amaziah! (2 Chronicles 25:5-13) How incredibly reassuring to know that God will redirect us when we are about to misstep, and there is no price for choosing to obey that is too great for God to compensate. We will never give up more than God has already given for us.

How often do we worry about what we have and what we don’t have?

How do we strive to prepare for the next season, or retirement, or the hard times we feel are looming ahead? Yet, Jesus said, in Luke 12, that we should not worry about what to eat or drink or what to wear… God provides food for the birds and clothes the flowers of the field in beautiful raiment. We are far more precious to God. He knows what we need even before we know ourselves, and he will take care of us. Worrying will not benefit us; it will not add a single day to our lives.

Even more than that, Jesus told his disciples that he was going to send them out, and when they were questioned by authorities, they should not worry about what to say. God would provide them with the words to speak. It would not be they who were speaking, but the Spirit of our heavenly Father speaking through them (Matthew 10:16-20).

These promises are for us too. We should pursue God and His agenda, and if we find that we wrestle with worry, then we need to examine what we believe about God. Do we trust Him, not only with our eternal security, but with our daily needs?

Do we believe that if we seek first His Kingdom, all these other things will be added to us? (Matthew 6:33)

Do we believe that when we are put on the spot, the words will be given to us?

More forgiveness and reconciliation, more comfort, more contentment, more “silver”…?? More than once, scripture recounts the ways that people have suffered, and God restored them in all the ways that were needed.

Today, lets choose to extend our hands in an upright posture, palms open, to give whatever God asks and receive whatever He deems is good. It will be more than what we think we want, and everything we need.

Our immeasurable God always offers the willing heart more.

Praying you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. May the worship of true thanks well up in your hearts today! God bless you! ~Linda