Thanks

Well Thanksgiving is next week Thursday, yes 8 days from right now. I have been pondering what thanksgiving is all about. I have been thinking of things that i am thankful for, i have thought about what i have. First of all have you thought about what you have? the question i want to pose is this, are you thankful for the thing, or for the giver of the thing you are thankful for. For example when you are given a nice bouquet of flowers by your spouse and you say thank you, what have you said thank you for? the flowers. Or your spouse that they are in your life and they are around to enjoy community with. I think thanksgiving is much the same and for me being a believer in Jesus Christ i often tahnk him for a house, food, clothing, friends etc. but am i thankful for those things or am i thankful for the giver of those? read in the Bible Luke 18:9-14 who was thankful for the giver and who was thankful for the things? I am not saying don't be thankful for things, don't love things, but hold them lightly because just as fast as you have recieved you can be taken from. What are you thankful for and where did each thing you are thankful for come from? Are you just as thankful for the person? have you thanked your employer for starting the business you work at? be thankful for the giver not just the thing.

Greatest commandment

Luke 10:27 says that the greatest commandment for belivers in Jesus Christ is to Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, soul, mind and strength. Basically Jesus is telling his people he wants all of you, not just soem of oyu not just your strength to do actions, not just your mind to think and reason with people and have all the knowledge, Jesus in essence si saying that he wants all of who we are.
All of who i am, is hard when i may be struggling to find out who i am, first it is importnaty to know who you are then you can know how to give who you are to Christ, I am still working this out, trying to figure out what is teh difference between the heart, the soul, the mind and the strength of us a individuals. There must be a differnece and there must be a rason why Jesus broke down, those aspects of our bodies. There must be a reason why he started with the heart.
The heart is what keeps us alive, it is what makes us tick, it is what lets us do everything we enjoy doing, without it we can do nothing. I guess it all starts with the heart have we given that to him?

PRAISE THE LORD

I wouldn't usually do this but we have asked for prayers and I feel when God answers, people need to know. We just received word from Shohannahs Hope adoption foundation and we have recieved a grant from them!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD. We are so blessed, thank you for all your prayers and support in our adoption process

What is a servant?

Luke 17:7-10 is a very interesting passage of scripture and very troubling to me. It talks of having servants and if a servant comes in form the field and is done plowing you would make him make and serve you a meal so you are filled and feeling good, after he has served the meal then and only then can he eat. This is troubling to me, I am not familiar with servants and what servants do. I don't think like this passage, I try to care about what people may be feeling and how i can help them not how they can help me. Then I think of Jesus and what he asks of us. Doesn't Jesus ask us to be servants for him and his kingdom? Does a servant know his masters business? Look at John 15. Does a servant do his duties to be praised and applauded? I think sometimes we get it all screwed up, sometimes we work, or do a task or help somebody out with a thought in our mind that we want o be thanked. It is good to be thanked and it is good to feel rewarded for your work, but is it the motive that makes you do the task or go to work? What about living for Christ, do you do it for a reward? do you do it looking for recognition? A devotional by Chris Tiegreen says it this way," Our attitude of service indicates the degree in which the gospel has penetrated our hearts." WOW that is said in a humbling way to get your attitude right. What are you doing for God today, this week, this month and why are you doing it? If it is to get a thank you or to get a promotion or to be praised what of that gives glory to God? Those are all self focused and not Kingdom focused. I pray that i may have more of a servant attitude in all I do and let his gospel penetrate my heart.