heart and thanksgiving are inseparable

The holiday season is here. Signs of the season are all around. But the signs are more of Christmas than of thanksgiving. Think about it. The world makes more money off Christmas than Thanksgiving. Buy food for one, but buy everything else for the other.

We all understand that we have to be careful. Be careful to do what is right. Be careful not to fall or hurt yourself. Be careful not to offend others. Being careful is always right, but what we are careful about doesn’t always make it right. Who is it that we care about and who do we listen to?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB

in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It is the will of God to be thankful. Being thankful honors God. Having a heart of thanks brings us and others into the place where we can see, sense and seize our God in grand ways. We cannot move on with just being thankful for food for the stuff on the surface. It is time to be thankful for more, but how do we do that?

Colossians 4:2 NLT

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Prayer often changes situations. Prayer most often changes the one praying. It changes me. Prayer has also been known to make me or the one praying thankful.

We lead others by the choices we make and the directions we go in. The passage we are looking at today is one such place we see the leading.

It is our heart that holds our thanks, our faith, our strength and more. Take some time to examine what God says about our hearts.

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Matthew 6:21 NLT

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 12:35 NLT

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

It is hard to worship or be thankful when everything around you as well as your heart is in turmoil. That is another reason to seek to be, plan to be and to be thankful. It is contagious to be thankful. It makes a difference to have a thankful heart.

Philippians 4:7 NLT

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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