Day Five Thankful

Day Five
"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God . . .

January: A lovely snow to track through under a clear blue sky. Amazing, all the creatures that were out and about the night before--tracks everywhere.
February: the first crocus peaking through a light snow--purple-blues, pale yellows, and bright yellows. The first "surprises" of the blooming season.
March--Daffodil time--thousands of blooms all over The Acres--up front, on the edge of the bog, surrounding the pond, behind the cave, everywhere in the Meadow and Wild Area. Whites, yellows, pinks, reds, even orange--they love to dance in the country breeze.
April--Hyacinths--bright colors and a beautiful scent to add to The Acres. Love the deep purples and bright yellows. Hundreds of little bluish grape hyacinth everywhere. And bleeding hearts filling up the shady area with glorious reds and pinks--even a
May--Iris time! My favorite time of the year--such matchless beauty. Every color imaginable. Dwarves, mid-size--tall and lustrous. Some will re-bloom in the fall.
June: Here come the day lilies--one day of beauty at a time. The Asian/Oriental lilies bloom as well--bright colors that last for weeks.
July: By this time the Rose of Sharon and hibiscus have made their appearances--from pure white to dark red. Huge flowers--hummingbird magnets.
August: Here come the phlox--everywhere! The Acres smells like a perfume counter at the store. Bumble bees get intoxicated on the phlox.
September: This is highlight time for The Wild Area. Flowers everywhere especially the asters and goldenrod. Waves of white, purples, and yellows. An ocean of color.
October: By this time the annuals are reaching their peak. They've been slowly sneaking up on the annuals and now is their time to shine! And shine they do until frost.
November: It depends on how soon the frost comes. Leaves turn. The goldfish return to the surface for a daily swim. Some flowers will last until frost. The monkshood waits until now to bloom. A final burst of deep bluepurple.
December: Winter is here. A landscape of black and white beautifies The Acres with touches of the green pines and spruce. God always seems to lay down a blanket of white before the really cold days.

I am thankful for life at The Acres. Color everywhere all year round. Daily strolls of beauty. Thank you, Lord. Your creativity is evident in every area--shade, sun, rain, snow, the bog, the dry Wild Area, the pond itself. Nothing escapes Your paintbrush.

(And this is just a commentary on the major bloomers each month. There is much more!)

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God . . .

Day Four Thankful

Day Four:

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God . . ."

I am thankful for the promises:

He that believes in me shall never die.
I AM with you always even to the end of the age.
I will never leave you nor forsake you; even when you are faithless, I will remain faithful.
I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself so that where I AM, there you may be also.
He that abides in me will bring forth much fruit.
I will supply all your need out of My riches in glory.
Fear not! I have overcome the world.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Ask and you will receive; knock and it will be opened, seek and you will find.
My Word will not return unto Me empty.
My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.
He that has the Son has the life.
Come unto me, all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Yes, even though you walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, you need fear no evil for I will be with you. My rod and my staff will comfort you.
So shall you ever be with Me.

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God."

The Good Life

I received a letter earlier this year from a former student. She was turning 21, and since she was convinced that I was "living the good life," she wanted me to send her some advice on how to live such a life. That phrase caught me by surprise: am I living the good life? Than what is that--what is the "good life?" The world, of course, would define the good life as being trouble free. The good life would mean that they had all the resources they needed to be financially secure and able to buy whatever they needed or wanted at any time.
But that is not how Jesus defined the good life. He said, "Don't lay up for yourself treasures on earth--moth and rust will take care of them " The man or woman who loves riches will live a life saturated with self-inflicted sorrow and pain. He said, "Rejoice and be glad when people persecute you because of me." James told us, "Don't be surprised by the fiery trials that come your way--all sorts of them. Count it all joy!"
How then do I live the good life Jesus promises me? The first thing I must do--and if I don't do it the good life is impossible--is make my relationship with Him my number one priority. I must make His heart the one heart I do not want to ever grieve or hurt. Then, when the trials come--and He gives me silence as an answer to my prayers--I must remain steadfastly confident that He loves me and that He is going to use the trials to glorify Himself through me. In fact, the trial itself is proof that He loves me--not that He doesn't. Next, when the answer to that prayer finally comes, I must surrender to His answer down on my knees in submission to His will. And finally, when He uses the answer to glorify Himself--make His presence and nature known to those around me--I must respond in absolute devotion to His love for me--sacrificing my best to demonstrate to the world that His heart is the one heart that I adore above all others.

And what are the gifts He gives to the one living the good life?

A deeper and deeper understanding of who He is.
A deep understanding of His love for me and His perfect will in the worst of circumstances.
Deep relationships with others who are seeking to embrace the good life found in Jesus.
The salvation of those who I have been telling about Jesus' great love--when they see His work in my life--how rich I truly am in Him--they will believe that He is everything I've been telling them that He is. And place their trust in Him.
The criticism of those who don't want the good life, or who are too afraid of what it will cost them to embrace it, or who love themselves more than they love Him, or who are the enemy of the cross.

"Take the world, but give me Jesus."--the only good life.

Thankful The Beauty of The Acres in November

Day Three

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

Thankful for the beauty of The Acres in November

Standing by the pond as the day dies watching hundreds of goldfish paint streaks of orange on the surface of the black pond.
Laughing at the calico cat as she thinks she is successfully hiding under The Last Ride. Orange and white is not exactly good camouflage against the backdrop of a black car.
Sitting in awe as the first wet snow of November crystalizes on the branches.
Creeping down the driveway in the early morning darkness under a canopy of ice covered limbs leaning over the path.
Being entertained by Homesteader's fascination with all the feathered-friends feeding on the patio.
Amazed by a baker's dozen of male cardinals ornamenting the brush by the house. Who needs a Christmas tree?
Slowing meandering through the Meadow and along the paths in the Wild Area--brisk breeze, birds flitting through the tall grass and briers, blue spruce adding their deep winter color to the browns and blacks, the red leaves of the blueberry bushes and oak trees and burning bushes competing with the sun at twilight.

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God. . ."

Day Two: Thankful

Day Two:

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

I am thankful that God is a pursuer and a seeker. He seeks the wandering sheep. He pursues the rebel whether they want Him to or not. He came to seek and to save those who are lost. I can continue to pray with the confidence that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is in loving, jealous pursuit of His "prey."

I am thankful that when I wake restless and discouraged, He can and will use my obedience to do His will--and restore my soul.

I am thankful that I serve a Savior who loves me--not because of who I am but because of who He is--the God who is Love.

I am thankful that the God who promises that all things will work for my good is the one who defines what the good is.

I am thankful that for the 73 years of my life He has always given me my daily bread.

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

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."

He Makes

He makes the crooked path straight. He makes the valley of deepest shadow as bright as the noon day sun. He makes the headwinds of adversity the tail winds of a victorious, soaring faith. He makes the tears of sorrow the spring of comfort and a river of joy. He makes failure the cadence of the march of the triumphant conqueror. He makes the smallest word of kindness a symphony to His glory. He makes the hardest heart--the heart of stone-- a reservoir of tenderness and kindness. He makes the blind to gasp in awe when they see Him as He is. He makes the arrogant His humblest servant. He makes the slave to sin a servant of righteousness. He makes the weakest a rock of endurance, a shoulder of strength for the weary to rest on.

Only be strong and very courageous. Today His strength is yours to lean on. You can access it on your knees.
He has all along been preparing you for today's battle. You can access His armor on your knees.

No matter your circumstances, His love for you is immeasurable, unconditional, and inescapable. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart."