Cornucopia of Blessings

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song

Psalm 95:1-2

In the United States, we have deemed the fourth Thursday of November as our day of communal thanksgiving. This is the day when we take time out of our hectic lives to remember the sacrifices of the first European settlers and how they came together with the Native Americans to find commonality in a meal. We remember their peace that long ago launched a new nation and although this nation is far from perfect we are thankful that we have an origin in peaceful community.

So often we pause before a meal to offer thanks to God for the gift of nourishment, but this time of thanksgiving grace before a meal is symbolic of the thanks we offer to God for each blessing He gives us. When we bow our heads to pray we have the opportunity to remember with a grateful heart all that God has done for us in our lives. Too often we focus on the things we want or we think we need when we go to God in prayer, but in reality we should first be focused on thanking God for the bounty He has already provided.

When we focus on what we already have received, on the blessings which overflow like a cornucopia of delightful blessings, our needs and wants seem less important in the realization that God is overwhelming with His blessings.

Each of us has experienced tremendous blessings in our lives from life, to family, to education, to home and to friendships; the blessings are too numerous to count or relay, but it is important to take time to remember them.

As you approach these days prior to our communal thanksgiving as a nation, remember to take time to thank God for the blessings in your life and to pray for this nation to do likewise.

Scripture

Psalm 95

Quote of the Day

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

 Francis Keonig

Question of the Day

What is one of the greatest belssings from God?

Finding Fullness in Life

Be generous with me and I'll live a full life...

Psalm 119:117 (MSG)

How generous is God in your life?

He has given you a family, a home, a church, a mind, a heart and a spirit. He has placed in you the ability to do great things in the eyes of man but more importantly in the eyes of God.

Within you is the ability to paint a masterpiece or to hit a homerun; to write a novel or to care for the sick; to be a great mother or a great father; to be a disciple of Christ. A full life does not come from the number of cars you have or how big your wardrobe is. Fullness does not come because you achieve a ton of success or because you earn more money than you could ever spend. Fullness in life comes through your relationship with Jesus.

Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders.

Psalm 119:118

Fullness in this life comes through recognizing all that God does. Fullness comes through recognizing who God wants you to be and living that life. God may call you to be an actor or an actress. He may call you to be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher. He may call you to be a garbage collector or the President of the United States. Regardless of the call God has on your life, living in that call will give you fullness beyond your wildest expectations. Living in God's call on your life will open you to all of the miracles surrounding you and give you the great gift of seeing how God works - even in the mundane and everyday.

God has been mightily generous with you. His blessings are too great to count...and what you have experienced so far is the tip of the iceberg; the best is yet to come - - if you will listen to God's call and follow where He leads.

Scripture

Psalm 119 (MSG)

Quote of the Day

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

Question of the Day

What is your dream job?



Receiving God's Blessing

What does it mean to give a blessing?

We tend to think of a blessing as the time of grace before a meal or a kind word said from one person to another, but a blessing is truly a word from God.

As the nation of Israel was forming their traditions and practices based in direct instruction from God, He told Moses to have the priests bless the Israelites:

The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

God was telling the Israelites that He loved each of them, that He was with each of them, that He was watching each of them and that He would give them His presence.

To know that the LORD loves you and that He wants to give you peace is truly an amazing gift. Knowing, above everything else, that the LORD only wishes good for you is a powerful notion. The Creator of all of the earth and everything in the entire universe, cares about you. He is watching you. He loves you. How could you not have a sense of peace even in the rockiest of storms with that knowledge residing in your head and in your heart.

God's love and blessing transcends any negative situation in our lives. Knowing that God's will is for your best interest in all things should create in you a peace which will ease even the most trying of circumstances.

A blessing is so much more than thanking God for the food we eat. A blessing is a message of God's peace in your every day life.

May the LORD bless you this day and may you always feel His face shining brightly toward you.

Scripture

Numbers 6:22-27

Quote of the Day

"When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedtly given in its place."

C.S. Lewis

Question of the Day

What is the biggest blessing in your life?

Promise in the Rainbow

Scripture
1 John 5-10

Rainbows.

Rainbows are created when light hits the darkened sky and is mixed with the water in the earth’s atmosphere. They are one of the most beautiful and unique blessings in creation. Not only are they beautiful, but they also represent the covenant between God and man. God promised never to flood the earth again - - and He hasn’t. Rainbows remind us of the trust we can place in God. When God says He will do something – He will do it. When God promises He won’t do something – it will not be done.


Everything about God is pure, light, hope, truth and love. If we choose to be a follower of His; if we choose to be in relationship with God then we have a responsibility to walk in His light, and that light will reveal our whole lives – everything we do, we say and we are – even our dirty little secrets.


Often, like little children who have made a mistake we try and hide away our devious behavior. We believe that God will not want to be in a relationship with us if He knows who we are but the reality is that in trying to keep a vice or a sin a secret from God, hidden in the darkness, we cannot be in relationship with God….


If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth(1 John 1:6).


Claiming to be in relationship with God, but refusing to give up our sin to Him, makes a mockery of the relationship we desire and doesn’t allow for true fellowship with God. When in relationship with God, we cannot hide our sin – our dirty little secrets – rather they are exposed and revealed. We must be honest with our faults, failures and missteps. Once they are revealed – once we turn over our sin to the light – Jesus washes us clean and we shine brightly in the light of God; granting us a relationship under the beautiful covenant of God’s rainbow.


In reality, we all have sin. Each day we will face obstacles which will cause us to fall short of fully living in the light of God. However, we have the tremendous gift of seeking God’s forgiveness and accepting His salvation. In that forgiveness and salvation we find ourselves washed clean and pure, able to walk with God in the glory of our relationship with Him.


Rainbows are light out of darkness. They sparkle and shine brightly bringing delight and joy. Similarly, when we let go of our sin – when we go before God in honesty, allowing His light to shine in all of the hidden places of our hearts – God is delighted and His rainbow of light surrounds us with His love.


All too often rainbows are hidden from our sight. Their color is washed out by the brilliance of the sun but when they are revealed they are spectacular to behold. The same holds true when we truly accept forgiveness from God. The relationship built on truth and honesty is a mighty spectacle to behold.

Quote of the Day

The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tearsJohn Vance Cheney

Question of the Day

When was the last time you saw a rainbow?

Don't forget to check out the GUMY Photo Album with updated photos from GUMY Session #2

GUMY Photo Album