Gratitude

Have you ever just been grateful for where you are at?

Stop.

Take a quiet moment.

Breathe.

Quit worrying about all the things you should be doing and allow yourself to feel the love of the Lord surrounding you.

What has God done in your life?

No matter what chaos swirls around me, I always have a ground zero - a foundation from which the rest of my life flows. My one hope, my solid ground, my anchor, is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His covering blood, His constant intercession fro me guaranteeing my entrance into His eternal Kingdom.

How sure is my hope? It is guaranteed by two things in which it is impossible for God to lie: the word of God, and (just to make sure we know He meant it) His oath. He swore by Himself as the highest power He could swear by. We find this promise in Hebrews 6:17-20

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

If there is nothing else in my life for which I can be grateful, I can begin there.

But there is more.

From my basic salvation, I can meditate on the character of the God who sent me that salvation - His love, His justice, His faithfulness...

I love the way His love and faithfulness come together in Jeremiah 31:3 (ESV)

I have loved you with an everlasting love;    therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

He is faithful because He loves. His love never ends because He is faithful.

Reminded of God's love and faithfulness, my heart turns toward the people He has placed around me. I am not making this journey alone. God has surrounded me with people who love Him and who love me. People who walk with me, cry with me, laugh with me, and pray with me.

Every time my journey takes a turn and I am at a loss over what to do next, my Lord sends one of His servants into my life to take my hand and help to guide me through the next phase of my journey.

There was a time when I was cut off from other believers. A time when God isolated me because my heart was closed and I had to become desperate before I would open it. But even then, I was not truly alone. My Jesus was right beside me every step making sure my tears and despair worked for His purposes and not my destruction.

For that time, too, I am grateful.

Had the Lord not led me through those dark times, I would never have discovered the precious gifts that enrich my life today: gifts of His people, gifts of truths found in His Word, gifts of truths about Who He is and, the most beautiful gift of all - His gift of grace.

For by grace are ye saved through faith. And that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. 
Ephesians 2:8

So this morning, I sit in a quiet moment - warm, comfortable, looking out on a beautiful day, and feeling a deep contentment rooted in the perfect love of my dear Savior, my Lord, my King, my friend, and my God.

Jesus, indeed, paid it all.

How could I possibly respond with anything less than

All to Him I owe.

May your day be rich in His blessings, 

Jules