Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a wonderful day. This is early again as I will off to the dentist to get my crown this morning! Not sure if I will be back in time for coffee and choc covered cherries. Yesterday was a blessed day at the funeral of my aunt whose life was lived for the Lord and who served Him in so many ways. The relatives filled one whole side of the church and we all have been blessed by His love expressed through her life to all of us.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  As we approach Thanksgiving Day, our hearts become more aware of the gifts we have been given from above. But every day should be a day of thanks-giving for we cannot even begin to count the blessings we have received. Living in America we are more prone to think we deserve not only our basic needs being met but wealth, comforts, and possessions, as well. If we don’t have as much as others around us, grumbling is heard, rather than gratitude.
   I wonder how our Thankful List would compare to others in a different culture. In closed countries, we might have on our list that we were able to gather with another Christian in secret to pray together, or that we have a Bible to read when undetected, or just basic food to eat that day. We have been given so much and yet our list might be short and filled with things that will one day just fade away.
  When we went on mission trips to Mexico, what hit me most was the joy and gratitude the Christians had, even though they lived in what we would call a shack, not always knowing where their next meal would come from, and lacking any conveniences. When I got home from such trips, I felt overcome and distracted by all I had, and desired to give more to others.
   No matter where we live or how much we have we all can be filled with thankfulness for what the Lord has done for us. Whether or not we have lot of the world’s goods, is not an indicator of our joy, but rather that Jesus saved and loves us and wants to share His presence with us. He also gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us and fill our hearts with joy.
   How can we not be filled with thankfulness and praise, for He is so deserving of it. As it says in Psalm 107:1 (God’s Word), “Give thanks to the Lord because He is good, because His mercy endures forever.” Every day it is good to just spend time in thanksgiving and prayer even before asking Him for needs we might  have or telling Him our concerns. This will often lead us into worship of Him, and our own problems seem to shrink as we come to see the greatness of His power.
  Challenge for today: Live in gratitude and start a thankful list and keep adding to it each day.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy