Thankful For You

How thankful are we?  Do we remember those in our life whom God has connected us with?  If not, we should remember.  I honor every one of you and thank each of you.  Even if I don’t know you, thanks for viewing.    

Paul begins this letter to the church in Thessalonica giving thanks.  He says, “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.  We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1: 2-3)  

• Thank others for their work.   

Do you see yourself as chosen?  Do we recognize that God has chosen us?  I think sometimes we forget that.  We wake-up each day, go to work, come home, eat, rest a bit, retire to bed and do the same thing again the next day.  

When you’re chosen to do the works of God, the routine has to be a little different than this.  There’s a positioning that must occur to do great exploits for God.  

• Being chosen speaks of God’s electing love.  

We are told to “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election…”  (2 Peter 1: 10)

• Brothers and sisters, our diligence will be rewarded. 

Paul, as he is exhorting the church says, “Brothers, loved by God, He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.”  (1 Thessalonians 1: 4)  

This newly converted group of believers, “Turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”  (1 Thessalonians 1: 9-10)  

• Be thankful that as a Christ-follower we shall be rescued from the coming wrath that we just read about in Revelation.

(Shared from Thessalonians 1, Modified)  

What’s the branch?  The Branch is Jesus.  Isaiah prophesied it, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord–and He will delight in the fear of the Lord.”  (Isaiah 11: 2)  

• That same root is in us; as we are In Christ.  

The Messiah grew up as a root from the stump of David’s dynasty.  Jesse was David’s father.   “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse…”  (Isaiah 11: 1)  

The root of who Jesus is should bring us to this point.  That’s why we pray, “That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3: 17-19)  

• When you know Jesus and are rooted and grounded in the depth of His love, branching out comes naturally. 
• We come to Him, to become like Him. That’s what transformation is.   

“Surely, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.”  (Isaiah 12: 2)  

We just read about the destruction of Babylon in Revelation.  Isaiah confirms it as well.  He says, “See, the day of the Lord is coming–a cruel day with wrath and fierce anger–to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.”  (Isaiah 13: 9)  

That’s why we are told, “Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”  (2 Corinthians 6: 2)  

Isaiah again addresses Babylon saying, “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonian’s pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.”  (Isaiah 13: 19)  

(Shared from Isaiah 11-13, Modified)  

Think how blessed we are.  We not only have a roof over our head, food on the table, a vehicle to drive, a job that pays the bills, or retirement to live from, and, most importantly, we have the Lord Jesus as our God.  We have His Word, which is His promises, too numerous to count.  

Do we truly understand how very blessed we are?  Don’t take that for granted.  “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands.”  (Psalm 112: 1)  

• Even when things go wrong, and they do, we have the Light.  

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.”  (Psalm 112: 4)  

His victory is ours!  This can give us courage to face anything.
“He will have no fear of bad news, his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord,  His heart is secure.  He will have no fear, in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.”  (Psalm 112: 7) 

(Shared from Psalm 112, Modified)  

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About the Author

Mary Beth Pecora, a faithful wife, mother, grandmother, friend, worshiper and servant leader, who loves life and loves people. More importantly, she passionately loves God and the fullness of who He is! For twenty-three years she has served in leadership positions within the ministry of Aglow International. Currently, she and her husband serve at The Secret Place--A Psalm 91 Ministry. It's a place for individual folks to come, be exhorted and prayed for, while being ushered to ministry stations within the room. They continue to serve monthly in the Prayer Room at their home church that they have been a part of for almost forty years. In April of 2022 they both received their Ministry License and were Ordained in May of 2023. She delights in encouraging folks of all ages within various walks of life. Her love of writing is now her passion, which led her to publish two books, "Restoration Explosion In The New Year," and "Navigating The Mysteries Of God." Above all that’s been accomplished and concluded, the BEST thing to her is knowing her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is her everything—her very best friend. Visit: Mybelovedsvoice.com

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