Thankfulness

​What a beautiful time of the year it is. As the leaves start changing colors, It reminds me that Thanksgiving is approaching. I am thankful for many things in my life, from being the pastor at such a tremendous, loving, caring, and passionate Church to the four girls who bring such joy to my and my wife's lives. To say that I feel God's blessings in my life is an understatement. It reminds me daily of what and who I am: a believer in God and a follower of Christ Jesus!

In the book of Psalms‬ ‭95:1-3‬ ‭NRSV it reads:‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
   "O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with Thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."

So I have some questions for you to think about. 
1.    Are you giving your thanksgivings to God the Father?
2.    Are you truly thankful for the blessings he has placed in your life?

Both of these questions can be answered quickly at first, but I encourage you to give each of them some serious thought. Giving God all your thanksgivings is much more than just telling him "Thank You" for the good in your life. Even the storms in our lives can produce things we are truly thankful for. 

Take a look at the news, and it won't take you long to see as much negativity as one can stomach. It seems to me that there is much more of a focus on the things that are negative and divide us (as individuals and as a country) than things that can bring us together. Now, don't get me wrong; there are good stories of positive things happening all around the world, yet that's not what seems to be "newsworthy " all too often. 

Being thankful for the blessings God gives can be found all over our lives and even in King David's life. David writes in Psalms‬ ‭28:7‬ ‭NRSV:‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."

David knows that he has his moments of weakness, yet he knows and trusts in God. That's a trust in God some of us have a hard time finding in our own lives. Have no fear; the more you study God's word and spend time with him in prayer, the more you will find yourself like King David, trusting fully in God and not on yourself or in others.