THANKFUL THURSDAY...people who led me to the Cross

Thank you for joining us for THANKFUL THURSDAY this week. As we approach the Easter weekend, I pray your heart is full of thanks as mine is.

Thanksgiving is the time of year that most of us hear sermons on giving thanks, but Easter is also a great opportunity for us to give thanks as we remember the sacrifice on the cross.

I thank my God every time I remember you. 
(Philippians 1:3) 

Often times, I have found that when I give thanks, it is mostly for the THINGS in my life; like food,, finances, clothes on my back, a house to live in, good health, etc. There is nothing wrong at all with giving thanks for these things, my friend, but as I look to the cross this Easter weekend, I have come to realize that often times I miss out on giving thanks for the biggest blessings in my life...PEOPLE, especially the ones that prayed for me, believed in me, mentored me and shared Christ with me.

Have you ever considered how empty and meaningless our lives would be without not only our relationships with people, but how empty and purposeless our lives would be without our relationship with Christ?

While it is easy to thank God for the THINGS in our lives, this Easter, may we remember to be equally thankful for the PEOPLE that God has placed in our lives that have led us to the Cross.

People and the Cross...two things that I am giving God praise for this weekend.

How about you? What about the Cross, His death, Resurrection and Everlasting Life are you grateful for...please share with us here today on THANKFUL THURSDAY. Next week we will meet over at GRACE ALONE where Iris will host for the month of April.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...trust

We took our granddaughter to the park. It was fun to watch her face as she came twirling down the slide, mixed with excitement and fear, all at the same time. The look of fear only lasted a minute, once she realized that Grandma was waiting at the bottom to catch her, the fear was gone and her face lit up with excitement and she was ready to go again.

I was thinking about my granddaughters reaction and thought how much we as Christians are much like her. Often times we find ourselves spinning and twirling thru life, hoping that someone will be there to catch us before we fall.

I am so thankful that at every slippery slope of life, God waits with open arms to catch His children. Some things may seem scary, but when we learn to trust God like my granddaughter learned to trust me, we will not hesitate to get back up and do it all over again.

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and I am happy to be hosting for the month of March. Have you learned to trust God for even the things that seem twisted? Share with us your grateful heart of how God has caught you time after time.

Happy TT!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...waiting in line

It has been awhile since I have been to a concert, but this past weekend, I went with our church youth group to see Winter Jam. The concert was great, but the wait beforehand took alot of patience.

We arrived at the door 3 hours ahead of time, the wait time outside, in the cold, was 1 hour and 45 minutes. And as the time ticked on, the more compact we all became, as we crowded around the entry doors. I had forgotten how much I hate waiting.

But just like most things, good things come to those who wait. And soon the wait was over and by the end of the night, the wait was worth it. We were able to get good seats. As I sat there, I noticed the seats way up at the top, the place that most of us call the "nose bleed" section. I thought about the poor person who was last in line who had no choice but to sit way at top, far from everything.

Isn't it just like our fast paced society to tell us to be quick, to hurry up and to strive to arrive early and get to the front of the line. But Jesus tells us something quite opposite...

"To be first, we must be last." (Mark 9:35)

Jesus gave us many examples of how He, Himself, placed Himself below others. Whenever I find myself waiting in a long line, for a long time, I need to remember that being frustrated, impatient and counting the minutes is not a good attitude. Instead, may I be more like Christ, and may I put my selfish ways down and look around to see if someone else needs to go before me instead.

When is the last time you gave up your position so that you could be last? To have a servants heart, we must be willing to take the last seat, fix our plate at the fellowship dinner last, park in the last parking place far from the building, we must be willing to give our good seat up and sit in the nose bleed of life. If we want to make Christ first in our life, we may need to be last in a thing or two.

I'm thankful that God showed us the true spirit of sacrifice. May each of us this week look for ways that we can serve others by being last.

What are you thankful for today? I am happy to be hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this month, won't you share your grateful heart with us by linking up below?