"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!"
1 Chronicles 16, 8, 34
Yesterday, I encouraged you to count the blessings the Lord has brought into your life. I want to follow that up by counting a few of my own:
I am thankful to God:
that He knew me before ever I was born
that He set His divine love upon me before the foundation of the world
that He chose me, determined to save me from my sins
that His grace was far greater than all my sin
that His mercy endures forever
that the calling of His gospel was powerful and effective
that Christ Jesus died to justify me from my sins
that so sure is His work for me that I'm already considered glorified
that He is for me, therefore nothing can be against me
that He did not spare His own Son
that He delivered Jesus up to live, suffer and die for my salvation
that, along with Christ, all things are freely given to me
that no one can condemn me––not God, not Satan, not others, not me
that no one can bring a charge against me
that there isn't one molecule of power in this universe that can separate me from His love for me in Christ Jesus
that He inspired passages like Romans 8
I am thankful for my wife, Ann:
because she loves me in spite of me
because she knows me so well and still love me
because she works so hard to help care for our family
because she is patient and kind, gracious, even to a fault
because she makes me laugh
because she laughs with me
because, even when she could do it far more often, she doesn't laugh at me as often as I deserve
because she respects me
because she's been around me for nearly 36 years and stays
I'm grateful for my children:
that they have all responded to the gospel call upon their lives
that Jesus redeemed them and the Spirit indwells them
that they shown signs of growing in grace
that they are, for the most part, obedient and respectful
that they love to laugh
that they enjoy being with each other
that they are kind and gentle to each other
that they don't fight like most siblings
that they like to give
I'm grateful for my church:
that they've had me for 14, going on 15 years now
that they love the Lord their God
that they love to worship Him and serve Him
that they genuinely love each other and find ways to show it
that they humble themselves under God's Word preached & taught
that they love the Word and can't seem to get enough of it
that they pursue reconciliation as needed
that they are patient and kind with all my foibles
that they are amazingly generous, especially when it comes to missions
I'm thankful for the leadership at Cornerstone:
that the elders are humble, eager to learn and grow
that the deacons are hard-working, generous men
that the elders run to the Word of God for wisdom and insight
that the deacons oversee more than just their "job description" calls for
that together, they provide me with counsel
that they allow Christ to shine through them, not covering Him up with their own longings or personal agendas for the church
that they love the people at Cornerstone
that they have the love and respect of those same people
I'm thankful for so many other blessings:
for a house and home
for warm clothes come winter and pleasant items in summer
for old cars that keep on running
for the beauty of flowers and plants
for books to read and own
for books to pass on and give away
for music and songs to hear and sing
for parents who are still reasonably healthy
for a mother who prayed hard for my salvation
for a mom who still prays hard for my sanctification
for a father who led our home from the Word
for a dad who cared more than I'll ever truly know
for a sister and brother, and their families, who all love the Lord
for lots of great memories growing up at the Madrid EFC
for the Bible being taught, honored and used at that church
