Thankful

Day One:

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

I am thankful that I grew up in a day where there were Christian men--like Pop--that modeled Christ in their daily lives. Many of those men are Home, but like Abel, their faith still lives and challenges and encourages me to so live myself. I just heard a quote from a godly Bible teacher who says one of the great tragedies in our culture today is that the pedestals are empty--there are so few men who are setting an example of what it means to be all in for Christ day-by-day. "Spirit, help me to be so empowered to say with my life and my words that I am all in for Jesus."

I am thankful that death is dead. When I close my eyes for the last time on this earth, when I take that last breath, I actually will begin to deeply live. "Absent from the body, present with the Lord." I shall begin eternity by seeing Him at last face-to face. "Whom having not seen, you love. And though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and your heart overflows with an inexpressible joy." He shall transform my old earthly body into one immortal and incorruptible. It is the incorruptible that my heart longs for the deepest. O, to no longer grief His Spirit!

I am thankful that I have been given the gift of teaching, even though I have to give up being a hermit during the school days. I love working with teenagers every day--as one of our teachers at school so wisely said this week--we are working with the church of the next generation. Sure, as Lutzer has said, when it is my time to talk and their time to listen, we don't always start and finish together. Yet, the Spirit is working. Him I trust to transform His church into His image. His Word never fails to accomplish His purpose. That's a promise I can rest on!

I am thankful that I labor together with men and women--young and younger--that daily give their hearts to touching young lives for Him. I am encouraged by their faith, their dedication, and their labor of love. Good times. Tough times. They declare in life and word that they are in love with Jesus--that He can be trusted at all times.

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord."