Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

 

 

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Hurray! Another Thanksgiving holiday is here! I am grateful to God for the privilege of salvation, to be able to call Him my Father is priceless to me. To have His Holy Spirit living in me, accompanying me on my journey is the icing on the cake!

I thank God for life! Much more than ever, I appreciate the value of being numbered among the living. I thank God for family and friends kept by the mighty hand of God. God has preserved us through these tough months of the pandemic. He healed our bodies when we were sick. He gave us peace that calmed our fears. He strengthened our hearts and gave us grace to deal with any losses we may have experienced. He put food on our tables and some more in our pantries. He kept a  roof over our heads! 

                 

As you celebrate thanksgiving with your family, let your heart align with your words. Ruminate on the goodness of God. Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord. The psalmist said:

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever (Psalm 30:12).

 

I See Men as Trees

 "As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth

 and increase upon it." - Genesis 9:7

Father's Day was fast approaching, and this year I decided to switch things up a bit. Some days ago I asked my son if he had any thoughts on fathers. These are the thoughts he shared:

Fathers are like Trees

All life is predicated on the responsibility of fatherhood

Being the base unit of exponential growth, fathers hold the key to life

Fathers are creators. God The Father created. 

He created a man and gave to him the ability to create. 

To invest in their kin and nurture, till they too, begin to bear fruit after their own kind.

Abraham was that kind of father, a father after God's own heart

For God said, (and with all certainty too), "I know that he will command his children,

And his household after him, to keep the way of the Lord"

Oh what a divine cycle of creation initiated by the Almighty Father, 

A father enabled by The Father plants seeds in his garden

He does the watering, and the much needed nurturing

But it is God that gives the increase

What the world sees is a well watered garden

Filled with herbs. flowers and trees. fruits that hold seeds, ready to bear again.

Jesus healed the blind man and asked him, "What do you see?"

"I see men as trees," said he. And he lied not.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. - Psalm 1:3

Happy Father's Day to my amazing dad and father figures everywhere!

 

Nothing Like a Mothers' Love

 

 

There is no earthly love like my mother’s love, No tender touch like her caring hands

9 months, 39 weeks, 274 days, 6,750 hours, we huddled together, 

With love so divine, we weathered the storm

While the world moved on,we formed our bond, belly to belly, we kept in touch!

My entrance to the world was spectacular!

You had pain, almost unbearable to the point of hallucinations

Yet, you bore your pain with grace, you set yourself apace and helped me along the way

With joy unspeakable, and a heart of gratitude, you  received the one you’ve loved and nurtured.

I heard you whisper my name so soft, so sweet, as you held me in your arms, 

Often you would say “Chukwunoyenim, you are mine, the Lord gave you to me!”

Through many long nights you stayed by my side, you fed my hunger, you soothed my pain

When I heard thunder claps and I was afraid, I was sure of this; in your bosom  I could hide.

It’s no surprise that as I grew, I also knew,  in my mother I can always confide

You do many  things for me Mom, you do many things! 

I have learned “sacrifice” just by watching you.

But there’s one thing you do that stands above all else,

I hear you  call out my name to the Lord in prayer, covering me in all my ways

That, my Mom is the ultimate security! That I cherish more than you’ll ever know!

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, 

and he praises her" (Proverbs 31:28).

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

It was the Night before Easter.

    Jesus’s death was spectacular. Darkness covered the world. The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The earth quaked as it received his blood. In retrospect, some of those who participated gleefully in his crucifixion were not so sure his death was really what they wanted anymore. Terrified they cried out; "Truly this was the Son of God!" The blood guilty crowd dispersed. The disciples bowed their heads and hid their faces in shame. The Roman rulers clinked their glasses in celebration; the rebels were subdued!

Now twenty-four hours have gone by since Jesus was crucified and buried. There is an uneasy silence. Nothing is happening. Or so it seems....This is where I remember that God is always working, even when we don’t see it.

“Even when I don’t see it, You’re working!”

“Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working!”

“You never stop, You never stop working.”

Just before the water boils and bubbles over, you may not know the water molecules are regrouping. Just before the plant springs forth a new shoot from the earth, you would not guess there is intense activity going on beneath the ground. 

Beloved in Christ, before you say “Nothing is happening” look beneath the surface!

Let us look at a few passages of scripture to gain insight and trust the Holy Spirit for revelation.

Although He died in the natural, Jesus waged war in the spirit. The battle was far from being over. He introduced Himself in Hades as the King of Glory. 

Psalm 24:7& 8 “Lift up your heads, O ye gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.… 

He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. (Colossians 2:14 & 15). 

Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2: 14 & 15).

None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:8).

The Dawn of a New Day!

We know how the story ends: He is risen! Hallelujah! Jesus conquered the grave; The tomb is empty!!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.… As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again (Luke 24: 1-7).

Ponder on this:

Jesus said He would die and rise again on the third day; He did. 

Jesus said He goes to the Father but He will come again to take us with Him; He will!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25 & 26).