Readings
Deuteronomy 8:7-18
Psalm 95
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Luke 17:11-19
Devotion
Peace be with you!
I am always amazed when God answers my prayers. Whether it is keeping my family and friends safe, giving me the wisdom to spread the good news through my devotions, or getting my puppies listen, God always listens and answers.
I remember one night while living in a condo in Saint Paul, Minnesota I let my oldest puppy (then an only child) out late to go bathroom before bed. Of course, Lily, my puppy, saw a squirrel that she had to chase and ran a hundred yards barking. To make matters worst, she ran to an area I could not get to with my electric wheelchair, and my significant other was away for wheelchair basketball. I remember yelling for her name and for help and praying to God for ten minutes. Eventually Lily got tired of barking and came back home. I felt so blessed and relieved when Lily back into my lap. Thanks be to God!
God gives us so much to be thankful for. He provides and blesses us with shelter, food and water, clothes, loving parents, loyal friends, passionate teachers, professors, and mentors, lovable pets, a healthy community, and so much more.
There are individuals who believe they climbed the cooperate ladder and obtained nice material items on their own. These individuals forget that God provides everything we need and want. The Christmas movie Scrooge [pick your favorite version] is about the individual who runs the town basically and works his/her employees to death until the three-ghost intervention. We can identify individuals in our lives who fit the character scratch of Scrooge, and some days it maybe ourselves. We also know God has no room for these individuals in heaven, because they do not value their relationship with him or the blessings he gives them.
After the three-ghost intervention, the Scrooge character’s outlook on life changes for the better, and he/she begins to mend the broken relationships in his/her life and treats his/her employee better. The Scrooge begins to value his/her more than by how much money was in the bank. He/she realizes that it is the community around you and the relationships you are in that makes life worth living.
God values his relationships with us so much that he sent his only begotten son to suffer crucifixion and death and to be resurrected. He did the one thing that could repair the relationship we broke by our sinful nature. He loves us so much and gives us even more.
The only thing God wants in return is for us to remember that he provides us with everything we need and want. We cannot say we got where we are on our own and keep a healthy relationship with God, because we would be lying to others and ourselves.
Healthy relationships are built on trust, love, and grace. We can put our unconditional trust and love into God, and he will give us the ultimate gift of blessings and grace. Whether it is a new pet, the ability to hike and the enjoy the great outdoors, a dinner with family and close friends, a new home, warm clothes for the winter, or [whatever “it” is] that makes you feel blessed, it is from God and we need to give thanks. Oh, what love God has for us – nothing else compares! So remember to give thanks to God the Father and be blessed forever.
Thanks be to God!
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for providing us everything we need and want. Help us to remember that everything we have is a gift from you and to give you thanks. Thank you for blessing us now and in the future. Amen.
Works Cited
Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
Reflective Questions
Please feel free to answer the reflective questions through comments. Please agree to disagree and be respectable to each other. Please take a moment, if you have not already, to sign the covenant. You can answer all or just one of the questions.
1. What are you thankful for?
2. What is the greatest blessing?