Giving Thanks 2014

Thanksgiving Greetings!

          We enjoyed a cozy Thanksgiving meal last Saturday with the Frank Family in Fergus Falls.  Today we are with our immediate family at home.  The turkey is in the oven, the kids are working on an iMovie project, and the sun is shining.  Today is the coldest Thanksgiving in Minnesota in 26 years!  It is 5 degrees Fahrenheit at this moment (-15 degrees Celcius for our European friends).

         "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes. 5:18

Thankfulness is the mark of a true believer in Christ.  Yet, in all that God has done for us and all His great and precious promises expressed in His word, we must be reminded over and over to give THANKS.  Praise God for His faithfulness and goodness. When I am reminded to give thanks my troubles seem less because of God's gracious hand holding me up.  I know I have a heavenly Father who knows my needs, and I love Him.

Today I am thankful:

My oldest daughter is recovering from pneumonia. I am thankful for good health care and for God's healing hand.

God has supplied all our needs today.

God has given me eternal life and I have the hope of heaven.  Some day I will see Jesus face to face.

Ethan is a good husband who loves God and His word.

My children are an inheritance from the Lord.

We have been given the privilege to serve God.

America's forefathers sacrificed much for our freedom and were upheld by God's righteous right hand.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

Songs of Thankfulness and Praise

Psalm 100:4-5
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Elizabeth Sharon Larson on our move in 2006 from Ukraine to Hungary

Thank you, Lord God, for your faithfulness.  Thank you that you hold Your chosen ones with your hand. We are like little children that are carried on Your back. “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;And he shall dwell between His shoulders.” Deut. 33:12  We are safe in Your arms.  Thank you that when we go through trials and defeat, You are faithfully working all things together for good.  Your arms are underneath us. "The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;" Deut. 33:27

Thank you, God, for my husband. He is Your son. You created him, you called him, and saved him from his sins. You made him your own. Thank you that my husband is upheld by Your righteous right hand (Is. 41:10) Thank you for his integrity, his faithfulness to me and to our family. Thank you for his willingness to use his multitude of gifts and abilities to serve God, even though it means giving up wealth and worldly honor and selfish fulfillment. He is laying up treasure in heaven, not on earth. Thank you, God, that You have led him all these years. Thank you for my husband's love for You and for Your truth. At personal expense, he has upheld truth and followed You.

Thank you, our Awesome God, for blessing us with Lizzy. We celebrated her birthday yesterday.  She is eight now, and I am so grateful for her. She brightens our lives. Thank you.

Thank you, for all Your blessings. Bless Your name.

Thankful

God has been good to us, and we are filled with thanksgiving. Over the past few months, my faith has been tested and I have struggled more than ever before with doubting God's goodness and love as we have undergone some trials. God has graciously turned my attitude from anxiety, doubt, and spiritual depression to faith and trust once again. One of my biggest prayers has been "Revive me according to your word." Psalm 119:25 God is doing that as I spend time with Him reading His word and in prayer and as I turn all these cares over to Him. Two hymns that have brought tears to my eyes and comfort to my soul have been "O The Deep Deep Love" and "'Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus." Listen to this line from the first hymn:

Underneath me all around me

Is the current of Thy love

God's love has been the sustaining and overflowing river that has brought life to me over the years of my life. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness, your goodness, and your grace. You are good.