Word for the day “Lord I just want to say thank you”
Philippians 1: 3 (MSG) I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.
The Lord keeps on doing great things.
As the Thanksgiving holiday draws near I am reminded of all the things that I have to be thankful for. I have a loving, relational God who cared enough about me to send His own Son to die for me, so I could live with the Lord eternally. God has blessed me with a beautiful wife, both inside and out, who loves me and supports me. How about you? Don’t look for perfection, just look for the best possible aspects of your loved ones.The Lord has given me a wonderful family, and wonderful friends that I can count on day and night to be there for me. And I have a special job, where I can take what I used to struggle with and turn it around to help others struggling with the same thing. I am grateful and learning how to connect the dots in my life. How about you?And yet I also realized that I don’t take nearly as much time as I should to thank God for all of His wonderful provisions for me. Often, I take them for granted, as if I deserve them as if they were owed to me. How about you? Who do you need to let know they are appreciated?
The Lord deserves our adoration even amidst challenging times.
Even amidst this challenging and contentious year 2020, God is still worthy of my praise. I’ve lost some special family and friends during this 2020 season. I’ve had some of my own growing pains and struggles, disappointments, etc. But the Lord has still been amazing in my life.If we base the goodness of God on the current climate, you may somehow think God is not good. However, the goodness of God is not predicated on favorable or unfavorable results in this natural realm. You can’t even base the goodness of God on the sensory realm evaluation. What I mean, is you can’t say God is good or God is bad based on if He shows up the way you want Him to. The Lord doesn’t work that way, in (Matthew 5:45) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.Even in the natural realm you know there are certain foods you eat that taste good to you but is not good for you, and there are certain exercises that don’t feel good to you but are good for you. So, sensory evaluation is not a way for you or us to assess whether God is good to you, God is consistently good or great even when bad things happen. It is mankind that is inconsistent in being good and humans that are inconsistent as we see throughout the history of our world and country even right now.
Point to ponder
I received a letter from my big sister Angela, letting me know how she appreciated me, and our relationship as her baby brother. Today’s message was inspired by her connecting with me in more than I can say in today’s message!Look for good qualities of those in your life today, share those qualities with them, and thank them for being in your life. And thank the Lord for them, and all the things God has given you. It could turn out to be the best Thanksgiving season you’ve had in a long time!
Special thanks!
Pastor James Baker, Jr. and our leadership team are especially thankful for those of you who provided financial donations and support in the month of November 2020, by partnering with us in efforts to advance the kingdom of God in this 21st century season: Special thanks to Ms. Cynthia Waiters-Artis, Ms. Annette Straker, Ms. Rita McGuffin, Mr. Kenneth Washington, Ms. Darlene Simmons, Ms. Mable Bazemore, Ms. Evelyn Rosado, Ms. Itholear Abbott, Mrs. Barbara Mason, Ms. Theresa Lewis, Ms. Jeanette Grant, Ms. Judith Battle, Ms. Angela Battle, Ms. Evonne Bazemore, Ms. Rita McGuffin, Mr. William Jones, Mr. Stan Harewood, Ms. Angie Scraders-Murphy, Mr. Calvin Jackson, Mr. Calvin Griffith, Mr. Brandon McIntyre, Mrs. Angela Baker Harrison, and Ms. Gertrude Scott.Thank you for using the word cup devotionals brought to you through Grace and Truth Leadership. Why don’t you take the opportunity to write to us on our blog and let us know how we are doing in serving you.We are a faith-based, donor-supported ministry. If you have been touched by these daily devotionals and would like to make a monthly pledge or a special gift of any amount, please use the donate link above to give as the Lord leads.Follow me on Twitter @James Baker_jr as I endeavor to encourage and empower leaders of today and tomorrow!Kingdom Blessings,