April 16...

April 16

The day after Tax day....

Three years ago, my husband breathed his last, after the taxes were paid, of course...tax day will always have that memory now...plus this "Jesus Calling " devotional will always be about " a life of thankfulness" on this day... Do taxes and thankfulness go hand in hand? Just like to death and taxes, do they go hand in hand?

They will forever in our family...and can we be thankful??

"Called to be thankful", no less...that is a hard thing to do even in the easiest of situations sometimes..our nation which has sooooo very much is not thankful. We want more and more without the courtesy of saying thank you...we are not satisfied ....and are unhappy...gripping about this and that, lusting after riches, Ill gotten gain, power, pride, Etc..etc..there is not a day that goes by that these topics aren't in the news..

But, thankfulness in the loss of a loved one is hard...I don't know what I would have done without the Lord by my side, in me, around me...He was holding me, carrying the burdens, comforting, soothing, speaking truth, giving glimpses of life around me through others....loving me at depths I didn't comprehend but were always there ....

Life has changed since that tax day three years ago...thankfulness has grown, fogginess  has cleared...I won't forget my husband's smiles, his voice, his touch..his love for his family, his enthusiasm for geology, his giving ...our family has continued on a our journey, new ones have arrived, life has gone on even when we thought it had stopped...the ambushes of memories still strike with surprise..but there is laughter and thankfulness as well...there is awareness that life changes quickly...

Thank YOU for thankfulness. You dwell in our praises, our thankfulness....even when is it hard to say thanks, help us to purpose to be thankful...

Job 1:21 and said:“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,and naked I will depart.The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 

Psalm 31:21 Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege.

Jesus calling-I am calling you to a life of thankfulness. I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe. Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence.

When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do. From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I’m mismanaging things. But you don’t know what I know or see what I see. If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much more. However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight. I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world. Acknowledge My sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances.

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
—Isaiah 6:3

We live by faith, not by sight.
—2 Corinthians 5:7

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
—1 Thessalonians 5:18