I am THANKFUL for…

Yes, this is another cliché ‘what am I thankful for’ post at Thanksgiving.  BUT let me say that gratitude is never cliché.  I don’t think you can ever talk about, write about, or think about GRATITUDE too much.  Every single day is a gift from our creator.  My prayers always start with “God, thank you for the GIFT of life today”. 

I didn’t realize how very, very precious life is until I was 24 and breathing what I thought were going to be my last breaths.  Unfortunately, for some of us that’s what it takes.  Hopefully, for anyone reading this, you can just take my word for it…be grateful for every single day.   Even the miserable ones because even in the darkest days there is light and a lesson: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17).”

Above all else, I thank God.  He is #1 on my Gratitude List and everything that comes after is merely a bi-product of his greatness.  Psalm 100:5 praises: ” For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”  Without his love, mercy, and grace I would be nothing and I would have nothing.  I could list 100 things/people/miracles that I’m thankful for, but it really just all comes back to Him.  What are you thankful for?

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. – Psalm 100:4

He Must Come to You

For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.- Psalm 86:13

As I sat down to write a few minutes ago, I put on the Elevation Worship CD, We Are Alive, to try to lift something inspirational out of me.  Track 2 came on, Progress A.  It’s 30 seconds of Pastor Steven preaching, not even a song, which caught my attention.  I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been attending Elevation Church that when Pastor Steven speaks, I listen.

This is what struck me; he says, “You cannot get to God, He must come to you. There is no other way.”

And then I opened up my Bible, which I’m very new at, and it opened to Psalm 86.  Verse 13 hit me in the gut.

Not only did God come to ME, but when he came to me he delivered me from the depths of my self-made hell.  I honestly don’t know how other people come to find God without experiencing a life altering moment.  Maybe it’s just me, but He had to literally save me from death in order for me to see him, I mean really see Him.  I grew up always knowing that there was a God, I just didn’t KNOW him.  Like Pastor Steven said, there is no other way for me to know God until He comes to me.  I am so grateful that He did.

Are you still searching for Him?  Has He found you yet?