I am having a terrific day, just bursting with joy and excitement! I've really been making an effort to give thanks to God for blessings big and small, especially since I'm so quick to petition Him with needs. I want to be like the one leper who returned to give thanks, not the nine who took the blessing and walked away (Luke 17:12-19).
Our "nest" is pretty much empty, with the exception of random sightings of our youngest son whose belongings still live here, but last night my daughter stayed over. Since she doesn't live here any more, any time we can spend together is a treat. We spent the morning just doing everyday things, made special by the fact that we were doing them together.
We knew her boyfriend was joining us for lunch, and just as we were getting ready to eat, my son made one of his random appearances, happening on a great meal rather than his usual bowl of cereal. Just having us all in one place is a rare occurance and reason for celebration. We spent the afternoon together playing a game and enjoying each other's company.
The highlight of the afternoon came when we learned that there will be a wedding next summer, the first in our family! I'm so thankful that my daughter will be married to a young man with such a passion for serving the Lord!
"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All theses blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:"
We knew her boyfriend was joining us for lunch, and just as we were getting ready to eat, my son made one of his random appearances, happening on a great meal rather than his usual bowl of cereal. Just having us all in one place is a rare occurance and reason for celebration. We spent the afternoon together playing a game and enjoying each other's company.
The highlight of the afternoon came when we learned that there will be a wedding next summer, the first in our family! I'm so thankful that my daughter will be married to a young man with such a passion for serving the Lord!
Little did I know, the blessings would keep on coming! My daughter was barely on her way out the door when I got a call from a reporter from the Grand Rapids Press, wanting to do a story on a quilt I recently finished. I've spent the last three years working on a quilt made of neckties, some of which come from well-known pastors. I plan on auctioning it off on ebay September 8-15 with the proceeds going to a remote village in Kenya that my husband and I have worked in.
One of the calls came from one of my favorite people in the world, an eighty-something missionary from California that acts half his age - if that! He called me with a blessing from Deuteronomy 28:12:
"The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands."
I definitely feel the Grand Rapids press article (due out August 29) is the result of his prayer. I looked up this verse and found the chapter starts out by saying:
All the advertising for this auction has been by word-of-mouth, so having this published in the Press will be a huge boost. I also sent letters to everyone who donated a tie, showing them the finished product and giving them the auction date. I received a couple replies from people telling me they're sharing the information and praying for the success of the auction.
One of the calls came from one of my favorite people in the world, an eighty-something missionary from California that acts half his age - if that! He called me with a blessing from Deuteronomy 28:12:
"The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands."
I definitely feel the Grand Rapids press article (due out August 29) is the result of his prayer. I looked up this verse and found the chapter starts out by saying:
"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All theses blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:"
Following these introductory verses is an encouraging list of all the blessings the Lord wants to give us. The tone of the chapter changes in verse 15, though, when it says,
"However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:" followed by over fifty verses describing the fate of the disobedient.
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life..." Deuteronomy 30:19-20
God asks us for a lot- total devotion and obedience - but I find my life simplifying as I give things over to Him. As I let go of things (or as He pries my fingers away) I find that those things pale in comparrison to what God wants to give me. We all have a choice. Choose life in Christ, you'll never regret it, and remember to give Him thanks for all He has done!
Father, I thank you for the many ways You've blessed me, both big and small. Help me to notice all you do for me so that I may never fail to give you thanks. Love, Lisa
