Thanksgiving

This week we focus on the holiday of Thanksgiving.  However, in the midst of fall break and holiday parties and cold season, we are so super busy and overwhelmed that it seems impossible to quietly take a moment and be sincerely thankful.  For me, personally, I realized that there was one more thing that I overlooked that was keeping me from being thankful (besides having a busy schedule and being deprived of sleep).  Forgiveness.  There were some wrongs that I made in the past that I made right by asking for forgiveness, however I was still experiencing guilt.

I realized that God was telling me that there was another part of forgiveness that I overlooked.  Although others may have forgiven me and I may have forgiven others,  have I forgiven myself?  That's such a foreign concept.  But it is necessary to move on and live in peace in order to be in a position to be thankful.

Forgiving myself means to set myself free from self-condemnation.  If Christ can forgive me then I should definitely be able to forgive myself.   Romans 8:1 says,  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  When I realized this great truth, my spirit was so free to focus on Christ, not on myself, not on my burdens, and not on my faults.

If this sounds like something you can relate to in your life.  Ask the Lord in a simple prayer to give you strength and courage to forgive yourself and cleanse your conscience from all guilt and condemnation.  Then release your burdens to the Lord, cast your cares upon Him.  Feel the freedom of a lightweight, guilt-free life . . . and start praising the Lord with Thanksgiving!

Happiness

If you could have any one thing in life, absolutely anything, what would it be?  Prosperity?  A better body? Good health?  A long life?  A great marriage?  A better job?  A fabulous career?  What?

If you answer, "Prosperity," I might respond, "What good is prosperity without health?" If you answer, "Great health, " I could point out a lot of healthy people who are miserable because they hate their jobs or don't make enough money.  No matter which answer you choose, I could point out someone who has exactly what you want and yet is unhappy.

The truth is, more money, better looks, better health, a better job, a better marriage, and even a longer life are really only a means to an end.  What you really want goes one level deeper than that.  What you really want is happiness.  -Steven K. Scott

So, waht is happiness and how do we attain it?  Sarah Young talks about happiness in her devotional, Jesus Calling, as being content in the Lord no matter where you are in life or what you're going through. 

You can live as close to Me as you choose.  I set up no barriers between us; neither do I tear down barriers that you erect.  People tend to think their circumstances determine the quality of their lives.  So they pour their energy into trying to control the situations.  They feel happy when things are going well, and sad or frustrated when things don't turn out the way they'd hoped.  They rarely question this correlation between their circumstances and feelings. Yet it is possible to be content in any and every situation.


Put more energy into trusting Me and enjoying My Presence.  Don't let your well-being depend on your circumstances.  Instead, connect your joy to My precious promises.:

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.

I will meet all your needs according to My glorious riches.

Nothing in all creation will be able to separate you

from My Love.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12

15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. 

Genesis 28:15

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:19

 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:38-39