This devotional was sent by Pastor Jim on 2/25/15…
Greetings Friends:
PLEASE READ: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
As we journey through Lent one area we can focus upon is being thankful. We may call it gratitude. To be sure, it is easier to be appreciative as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. Yet the call for a disciple of Christ is to live with a spirit gratitude all of the time. Paul stresses this in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 when he says, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I would invite everyone to see Ephesians 5:20, Philippians 4:6, and Colossians 3:17 which support this thought (click below to open these scriptures):
Read Scriptures
Ephesians 5:20 … giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. NKJV
Perhaps the story below will prove to be a blessing…
For a certain boy named Bradley, age 8, this awareness arrived one morning just before breakfast. Somehow, he managed to slip under his mother’s plate a folded piece of paper. It was a bill. Scrawled in crayon were these words: “Mother owes Bradley: for running errands, 25 cents, for being good, 10 cents, for taking piano lessons, 15 cents; for extras, 5 cents. Total, 55 cents.”
Bradley’s mother smiled when she saw the note, but said not a word. As he returned for lunch, Bradley discovered to his delight that at his place was a little pile of coins: 55 cents. He discovered something else, as well: another folded piece of paper. Opening it, he read, in his mother’s handwriting, these words: “Bradley owes Mother, for nursing him through the chicken pox, nothing; for being good to him, nothing; for clothes, shoes and playthings, nothing; for his playroom, nothing; for his meals, nothing. Total, nothing.”
That story really speaks loudly doesn’t it. Lent is a good time to consider the countless goodness of God to us.
Shalom,
Pastor Jim
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