Shaped by God

The people I have shaped for myself will broadcast my praises. Isaiah 43:21

You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Psalms 139:16

Rick Warren writes in his “The Purpose Driven Life” book (which sold over 35 million copies since 2002) “God formed every creature on this planet with a special area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, and some fly. Each has a particular role to play, based on the way they were shaped by God.” Every creature means even us humans. No wonder we are all so different.

You already know that you have a specific DNA. You are like your parents in certain ways, but not identical. You have some traits of your grandparents and even great grandparents. But you are not identical to any of them. God made you special! God tells us this in his Bible in Isaiah, Psalms and Ephesians.

For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and we all have the same God and Father who is over us all and in us all and living through every part of us. However, Christ has given each of us special abilities - whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts. Ephesians 4:5-7

Did you realize God had something to do with shaping us in our mother’s womb? These verses tell us God shaped our genetic makeup while we were babies in the womb. Each brain is different. You were made a unique way. And he wants you to use your abilities in a positive way.

Take a look at your classmates, your family, and your friends. Can you name some of the qualities they have? Look at your special qualities and thank the Lord for them.

Prayer: Dear Lord, your humans are magnificent creatures. We thank you for making us with each of our individual qualities. Thank you for the truths in your Bible. Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Giving Thanks

Give thanks with a grateful heart 

Giving Thanks

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. Psalm 107:8 

Give Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good. Psalm 107:1 NIV 

Thankful for all Our Blessings

 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

While reading Brene Brown’s new book, Atlas of the Heart, I found myself agreeing and feeling convicted while recognizing myself in her descriptions.

In the section on Gratitude, she mentions how many of the emotions that are good for us – joy, contentment, and gratitude have appreciation in common. She goes on to say that gratitude is good for our physical and mental health. In researching the section on gratitude, Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at UC Davis, figured prominently. He says, “gratitude makes us appreciate the value of something, and when we appreciate the value of something, we extract more benefits from it; we’re less likely to take it for granted.” He continues: “with gratitude we become greater participants in our lives as opposed to spectators.”

Whether you make lists, say daily prayers of thanks, or share your thoughts of gratitude with others, let us remember that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” (James 1:17)

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the many blessings in my life. Help me to focus on gratitude instead of bitterness, even when it's hard. Guide me in becoming an active participant in a life of gratitude. Amen.

Donna Gustafson (reprinted from 2022, edited)

Thankfulness

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessolonians 5:16-18 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 

In this holiday season, we ought to adopt the attitude of thankfulness not just on one day, but every day. In his book “Life’s Greatest Lessons,” Hal Urban has an exercise that I am going to do and I hope you will too. Take a sheet of paper and title it “I am thankful for…”. Draw two vertical lines so there are three columns. The column headings are “Material Things,” “People”, and “Other”.  “Other” can be freedom, Jesus, faith, health, etc.  Fill in all of the lines on the paper as you think about this. Keep the list handy (or make a few copies) and read over it four times a day. In his over 30 years of teaching, Mr. Urban says this is one of the best assignments he has ever given. Join me in this exercise and let’s see what happens!

Prayer: Dear Father, we should be overflowing with thankfulness for all you have given us but sadly we often complain or take for granted what we already have. We ask that our thankful hearts be a light for others to see the contentment and hope we have in you. Amen.

Cathy Schapmann (reprinted from 2017)