Thanksgiving and Praise

North of Shady Grove, a little community near Laurel,Mississippi, a tornado damaged 35 homes in my sister's neighborhood. Her home was untouched. I thank God. If a tornado had flattened her house, I should thank God; and if a tornado flattened my house, I should thank God. And I should go a step further to praise God.

"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21B)

I don't understand God's ways, which are higher than mine, or his thoughts, which are so much higher than mine that I cannot even imagine how he thinks. What I do know is that because I love him and am called by him to be his child, he is working everything out according to his own plan. (Romans 8:28)

Thanking God, I enter into the door of his presence. Praising him, I enter into the court of his presence. Thanksgiving is recognizing what God has done. Praise is recognizing the God who did it. (Tony Evans)

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving; and into his courts with praise." (Psalm 100:4, KJV)

Guest Blogger Apala Miller tells a story about her mission trip to Ireland.

Apala Miller lives in Plano, Texas, where she is active in Stonebriar Church (the church where Chuck Swindoll is senior pastor.) She encourages many people, especially her two children. She has decorated her home beautifully, and her friends know what an excellent cook she is. She enjoys working out at the gym. Having known grief in her life, she has relied on the Lord to overcome whatever she has faced. She is a lovely inspiration to all she meets.

Recently she traveled to Ireland as a missionary. She tells the following story in her own words.

About the above picture Apala says, "We had a church retreat at this grand old manor in the country. It must have been magnificent in its day." She is also sharing two other photographs of Ireland. "I know! Looks like a picture book, doesn't it?"


Kirk’s Mom’s Story
Apala Miller

I had the privilege of visiting Ireland to help support a small church who is trying to bring the Bible to a striving nation. There were so many high points during the trip but one story stood out as priceless.

One of the mission couples involved with the church told the story of Kirk’s mom who defied Christianity all of her life. As a matter of fact, when Kirk and Sandlin married and decided to go into full time ministry, his mom put her foot down and said that she did not want to hear anything about their faith, their job, or God…period! So through the next thirty plus years the precious couple who missioned in Austria and then Ireland kept quiet about the Lord’s work but kept praying that mom would come to know the Lord in a personal way.

One day their mom heard about a mission trip going to India which intrigued her (at 72 years of age). So she signed up! She needed a referral and gave it to her son. Kirk didn’t know how to proceed since his mom was not a believer, but elaborated that she would give her heart of service to the cause although she was not a Christian. The pastor accepted her application! She did not go to any of the preparatory meetings prior to the trip except the last one. When she realized this was a Christian cause she didn’t want to go. But in her mind she couldn’t get out of it since she had already made the commitment.

India was pretty tough on her. She had very barren accommodations and even had to sleep in a tiny bed with another woman. But she served with all of her heart. At the end of the trip, when the team was on a layover waiting to come home, she asked each person to tell about their faith. After the stories were told, she decided to give her life to the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

There are so many lessons to surmise from this story. Never stop praying for someone even when it seems hopeless. The Lord has His way and His timing. And kudos to the pastor who didn’t reject mom because she wasn’t the perfect mission candidate. Perhaps he had some insight, maturity and a great faith that the Lord was in control of the situation. Also, I’m sure the Lord knew she would get a different perspective after visiting a third world country to see how blessed she truly was and how people in deprivation had a hunger for a Savior…and maybe how she was hungry for a Savior as well.

I have a feeling that this now 73 year old woman will have more impact in her years left than many of us who have been Christians for a long time.

Click here for the Kindle version of Do You Know How God Loves You?

Thanksgiving

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” (I Chronicles 16:34) This verse is repeated verbatim five times in the book of Psalms.

We should give thanks every day. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18) Give thanks forever: when things are good, when they seem not so good, all the time. Give thanks from the rising of the sun to the setting of the moon.

Think of the splendor of the creation: the vast glorious skies, majestic mountains, sparkling lakes, stately trees, delicate flowers, and bright stars. Think of the love all around us: human love of family and friends and love of God that exceeds any love people are capable of. Thank God through Christ.

(From Do You Know How God Loves You?)