Gratefulness! Thank you ABBA for today.

•A Prayer for Memorial Day• — Remembering Those Who Have Fought for Our Freedom 👉 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Freedom is a gift, it’s a treasure. And though we all may agree on that truth, it’s often easy to take for granted the greatest gifts that God has given us in our lives. But those most precious gifts are never free. They came with a price. With sacrifice. They were worth fighting for. And are still worth fighting for today. Many brave men and women were willing to face hard battles in order for us to enjoy that gift of freedom today. For all those who have protected our nation, for the men and women in uniform, together, we say “Thank You.” We take time to remember today, and say a prayer of gratefulness for the many who have been willing to pay a great price for our freedom. May God help us to live so courageously, may we follow the brave examples of those who have gone before us…. Thank you for reminding us that there’s incredible love and sacrifice displayed when one is willing to stand strong and fight for freedom. This service of love and sacrifice on behalf of all people, points us directly to the greatest love of all, the very gift and sacrifice of Christ. Our Savior was willing to pay the ultimate price, so that we can live free. Forever. 🙏 Dear God, We thank You for the freedom You have given to us, and for the price that was paid by Christ so that we could live free. We remember today. The cost of it all. The great sacrifice for freedom. We thank You for the brave men and women who have fought, and continue to fight, so courageously for our nation. We ask for Your covering and blessing over them and their families. We pray that You would be gracious and encircle them with Your peace. We pray for Your great favor and goodness to be evident in their lives. Please be with all those who wear the uniform, who serve our communities and nation every single day. We ask that You provide Your protection, that You would be their guiding force who leads the way, and their rear guard who keeps them safe from behind. We ask that You would draw them to Yourself amidst the dangers they face in a dark world, for You are the Truth, You are the Way, You are the Light. Help them to walk wisely. To stay covered in Your armor. Give them godly discernment. Make them constantly aware of what lurks close by. Help them to be men and women of prayer, realizing that this is where their greatest help comes from. Help them to stay united and strong, bold and resolute, determined and unwavering. Bless their families. Bless those they love. Give them Your great favor, this day, and every day. Thank You that in our nation today, we are free to worship. We are free to pray. We are free to read Your Word. We are free to speak. We are free to share. For this, we are incredibly grateful. Yet, we understand how quickly these freedoms can be taken away. Give us an increased awareness of the spiritual battle we’re in. Help us to stand strong in You and for Your purposes. Thank You that as believers, we can be assured, You will never leave us, and are with us always, in this life, and the next. Thank You for Your truth that says, who the Son sets free is free indeed! We know that in You alone, true freedom is found. In Jesus’ Name we pray, AMEN 🙏 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3) I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants. (Psalm 116:14-15) For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (1 Thessalonians 4:14) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27) Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. (Psalm 27:3-4) Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (Hebrews 4:12) The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) The LORD cares deeply when his loved ones die. (Psalm 116:15) Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 82:3-4) Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. (Romans 13:7) (pic verse) Doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Thank you Jesus for waking me up this morning. I have another opportunity to express gratitude, to renew my mind with the word of God, to speak words of faith, to show God's love, to share my smile and positivity, to praise my Lord and Savior Jesus for his redemption work, to be comforted and guided by the Holy Spirit, and to be a blessing to someone's life. #Jesus, #gratefulness, #redemption, #faith, #bible

The Greatest Servant If we’re honest, most of us would rather be served than to serve others. We’d rather feel special than ordinary. We’d rather feel important than insignificant. And though God has made each of us special, important, and created in His image—His children cannot be above serving, because Jesus was never above serving. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ If the King of kings and Lord of lords didn’t come to be served, but to sacrifice His life for the sake and salvation of others, we should pay attention. Jesus warned against doing impressive things just to be seen, praying extravagant prayers merely to be heard, and taking the highest-ranking positions simply to be known. (See: Matthew 6 and 20.) Instead, Jesus engaged the outcast, fed the hungry, healed the sick, helped the hurting, stopped for the broken, washed dirty feet, and laid down His life—even though He was innocent—so that even the “worst” of sinners could discover: they're never too far from His love. As you think about what it meant for Jesus to die in your place and erase your sins and mistakes, what does it trigger inside of you? Worship? Gratefulness? Are you compelled to go and tell others? Today, ask God to show you how you can serve others like He has served you.

The Greatest Servant If we’re honest, most of us would rather be served than to serve others. We’d rather feel special than ordinary. We’d rather feel important than insignificant. And though God has made each of us special, important, and created in His image—His children cannot be above serving, because Jesus was never above serving. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ If the King of kings and Lord of lords didn’t come to be served, but to sacrifice His life for the sake and salvation of others, we should pay attention. Jesus warned against doing impressive things just to be seen, praying extravagant prayers merely to be heard, and taking the highest-ranking positions simply to be known. (See: Matthew 6 and 20.) Instead, Jesus engaged the outcast, fed the hungry, healed the sick, helped the hurting, stopped for the broken, washed dirty feet, and laid down His life—even though He was innocent—so that even the “worst” of sinners could discover: they're never too far from His love. As you think about what it meant for Jesus to die in your place and erase your sins and mistakes, what does it trigger inside of you? Worship? Gratefulness? Are you compelled to go and tell others? Today, ask God to show you how you can serve others like He has served you.

The Greatest Servant If we’re honest, most of us would rather be served than to serve others. We’d rather feel special than ordinary. We’d rather feel important than insignificant. And though God has made each of us special, important, and created in His image—His children cannot be above serving, because Jesus was never above serving. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ If the King of kings and Lord of lords didn’t come to be served, but to sacrifice His life for the sake and salvation of others, we should pay attention. Jesus warned against doing impressive things just to be seen, praying extravagant prayers merely to be heard, and taking the highest-ranking positions simply to be known. (See: Matthew 6 and 20.) Instead, Jesus engaged the outcast, fed the hungry, healed the sick, helped the hurting, stopped for the broken, washed dirty feet, and laid down His life—even though He was innocent—so that even the “worst” of sinners could discover: they're never too far from His love. As you think about what it meant for Jesus to die in your place and erase your sins and mistakes, what does it trigger inside of you? Worship? Gratefulness? Are you compelled to go and tell others? Today, ask God to show you how you can serve others like He has served you.

The Greatest Servant If we're honest, most of us would rather be served than to serve others. We'd rather feel special than ordinary. We'd rather feel important than insignificant. And though God has made each of us special, important, and created in His image - His children cannot be above serving, because Jesus was never above serving. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28) If the King of Kings and Lord of Lords didn't come to be served, but to sacrifice His life for the sake and salvation of others, we should pay attention. Jesus warned against doing impressive things just to be seen, praying extravagant prayers merely to be heard, and taking the highest - ranking positions simply to be known. (See: Matthew 6 and 20) Instead Jesus engaged the outcast, fed the hungry, healed the sick, helped the hurting, stopped for the broken, washed dirty feet, and Laid Down His Life - even though He was innocent - so that the "worst" of sinners could discover: they're never too far from His Love. As you think about what it meant for Jesus to die in your place and erase your sins and mistakes, what does it trigger inside of you? Worship? Gratefulness? Are you compelled to go and tell others? Today, ask God to show you how you can serve others like He has served you. Prayer Jesus, thank you for showing us what humble service looks like. Today and every day, please show me how to follow the example you've set. Make me aware of the people in my life that need help, and those I can selflessly serve. Let my act of service reflect my deep love for you and for the people you created. In your mighty name Jesus, Amen.❤️

A Thankful Heart Summary: The Bible has a great deal to say about the heart. It is not only crucial to our physical well-being, but it is the seat of our emotions, passions, moral choices, attitudes, and thoughts. In fact, it is central to every aspect of life. So we certainly want it to be healthy—we need to keep our hearts pure, loving, unselfish, and kind. One way the Bible admonishes us to do so is through praise and thankfulness. Psalm 100:4–5 Tells us, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5) For YHWH is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Do you have a thankful heart? Are you a person who appreciates all that YHWH has done for you? Find out how your heart can overflow with gratefulness. Scriptural Principles: 1 The motivation. The first thing we need to understand about a thankful heart is the motivation we have for being grateful. Although having a good family, excellent health, and a job may initially come to mind, there is something much more important that we must appreciate—and that is we serve the one true God. A) We have only one God and He is sovereign—We can be thankful that our Lord is above all things, knows about all our circumstances and is always able to help us no matter the situation. B) God loves us unconditionally - We can be thankful that His love for us never changes and we cannot do anything to lose it. Rather, God’s merciful love is consistent and everlasting because that is His character. C) God restores our relationship to Him through the death and resurrection of YHWH Messiah—We can be thankful that YHWH Messiah paid our sin-debt in full so that we would not have to pay the eternal penalty for our sins and so we could have an intimate relationship with the Father. D) God forgives our sin - We can be thankful that He pardons us of whatever we do wrong when we confess our transgressions and turn back to Him in repentance. E) God is always with us - We can be thankful that His wonderful presence, strength, wisdom, goodness, mercy, and love are with us no matter where we go or what we face. F) God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise - We can be thankful that we have a guarantee of the redemption He has promised us. God has adopted us into His family and is preparing an eternal home in heaven for us—and there’s absolutely nothing that can take that away. G) God always hears our prayers - We can be thankful that we have the privilege of talking to Him about all the things that burden us, and YHWH Messiah is our advocate in all of our concerns. H) God has given us His Holy Spirit - We can be thankful that God has empowered, enabled, and gifted us to serve Him through His Holy Spirit. I) God has a plan for our life - We can be thankful that God’s will for us is the absolute best, most meaningful and significant plan possible—and He will accomplish it if we’ll obey Him. 2 What does it take to create a heart of thanksgiving? With such a wonderful God to be grateful for, how do we train our hearts to praise Him? A) Our singing - Praise and worship should permeate every area of our life, and our songs are a good place to start. Psalm 100:2 admonish us, “Serve YHWH with gladness: come before his presence with singing..” B) Our prayers - Philippians 4:6 instructs, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” When our intercession is filled with gratefulness, we will be less focused on our own problems and more on the wonderful sufficiency of God. C) Our giving - We must find ways to express our gratitude to God, and an excellent way is to show His love to others. Second Corinthians 9:12 explains, “For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;” D) Our friendships - Are you always finding fault in your relationships, or are you grateful for the amazing people God’s put in your life? In Philippines 1:3–4, Paul wrote, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, (4) Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,” We should be thankful for our friends—for what they teach us about Christ and how God uses us in their lives for His glory. E) Our spiritual battles - How can we give thanks in our most trying circumstances? By remembering that God has a purpose for everything we experience and that ultimately He will lead us to triumph if we obey Him. As 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through YHWH Messiah.” He uses our most trying experiences to show us His power, increase our faith, and transform us into the image of His Son. F) Our daily lives - Colossians 2:6–7 teaches, “As ye have therefore received YHWH Messiah, so walk ye in him: (7) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.. ”We should always remember that YHWH is leading us and working in our life because that will prevent us from complaining. When we finally understand our remarkable privilege of having an intimate relationship with Him, our hearts will be an overflowing spring of thanksgiving. 3 How does thankfulness impact your life? God asks you to be grateful for your good—because when thankfulness flows from you it will impact your life in a positive way. People who have a thankful heart: A) They tend to be happier. B) They tend to be healthier. C) They’re aware of God’s presence in their life. D) They’re inspired to live a godly life. E) They’re motivated to look for His purpose in their difficulties. F) They find it easier to bring their will into submission to His when there are circumstances they don’t understand. G) They’re always reminded of their dependence upon Him. H) They’re an amazing witness of His grace. I) They’re attractive to others because they exude peace, joy, and contentment. Conclusion: A thankful heart begins with the understanding of what it cost the YHWH Messiah to forgive your sins and have a relationship with you. When you accept His death on the cross as payment for your transgressions and receive Him as your personal Savior, you surrender your life to Him. His Holy Spirit then comes to seal you as a child of God—to enable you to become everything He created you to be. He fills the emptiness that nothing else in this world can fill. Isn’t He worthy of your praise? Doesn’t your heart erupt with thanksgiving when you discover all that He can be and do in your life? It should. That is why 1 Thessalonians 5:18 admonishes, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in YHWH Messiah concerning you.” You have so much to be grateful for! So worship Him and give Him thanks in every circumstance because you’re a child of God and “for praise is comely for the upright. (Psalms 33:1).

I LOVE THIS ANALOGY: You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? "Because someone bumped into me!!!" Wrong answer. You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. *Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.* Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it, until you get rattled. *So we have to ask ourselves... “what's in my cup?"* When life gets tough, what spills over? Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility? Anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions? Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our cups will be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, but when we are filled with ourselves and worldliness our cups will be full of sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Today let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation; and kindness, gentleness and love for others. Let us walk by, be led by and be filled with the Holy Spirit.. Ctto... Galatians 5:16-24

Plant Generously In his second letter to the believers in Corinth, Greece, the apostle Paul expressed His gratefulness for their commitment to generosity before challenging them with this statement: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Paul knew that God had established some common-sense principles when it came to generosity. All throughout Scripture, we see both natural and spiritual implications of this cycle.  Natural: If you plant a few seeds in the ground, you will reap a small harvest. If you plant hundreds or thousands of seeds in the ground, you will reap a large harvest. Spiritual: If you spend your time, money, talents, or energy investing in a friend, a stranger, a ministry, or the next generation, God can certainly multiply those efforts. But Paul also makes it clear in the surrounding verses that you shouldn’t just give to get. If you do give, you should do so willingly and cheerfully—not begrudgingly.  What we sow with the right heart, God will surely multiply what we produce. Proverbs 11:18 says, “…the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.” Hosea 10:13 says, “You have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception...” Instead of seeds of selfishness, anger, or pride, let’s plant seeds of selflessness, peace, and humility.  Ask yourself: How am I investing my life? What types of seeds am I planting? Am I trusting that God will multiply my efforts when invested with the right heart? Take some time to reflect on what you’re planting and reaping today, and ask God to direct your steps.