Thank You

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

Philippians 1:3 (NLT)

THANK YOU!

I was overwhelmed. My 40th birthday celebration last weekend meant more than you will ever know. What a surprise, the whole weekend. I felt loved and honored by you all. I want to thank Leslie, our church, family, and friends for putting together a birthday celebration I will never forget. You guys are the best and I am blessed to have you all in my life. Thank You!

I have been reflecting on being thankful this past week. God commands it in Scripture (Psalm 100:4 and Colossians 3:15) and if we pause to reflect we all have things for which to be grateful. But how often do we stop to say, “Thank you.” First of all our thankfulness needs to be expressed to God each day. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. (James 1:17) It honors God and we give Him worship when we pause and say, “Thank you.”

Next, think about who you need to thank. After last weekend I have a lot of “thank you’s” to write. Please be patient ;-) Take time and think about who you need to say thank you to this week. Make the call, set up coffee, or write the note. Sometimes all you have to say is, “Thank you.” Take the time. They deserve it. And you need to do it.

Let me close by saying thank you for praying this past week for our zoning meeting with the city of Huntley. We passed through two of the boards and now our request goes before the city council this coming Thursday evening. Continue to pray that God’s will will be done and that we will be able to move into the Prime Outlet Mall at I-90 and Rt. 47. God has big things in store for us out there!

Ungrateful Children

Last Sunday we celebrated Mark’s 5th birthday. There is something special about a child’s birthday. Their excitement is off the charts. For weeks Mark was announcing his birthday to anyone who would listen. The day of he made sure everyone knew. Since it was a Sunday he may have even stopped you at church and let you know with a grin, “Today is my birthday.”

The weeks leading up to his birthday Mark let us know what presents he wanted. As the days passed the list grew and grew, and unfortunately, we did get almost everything he wanted. At the end of the big day after all the gifts were opened he looked sad. I thought it was because the special day was coming to end, instead he announced he wanted more presents. More presents? MORE PRESENTS!?! Doesn’t he understand how much we had spent? How hard we worked to make his birthday special? More presents?

As I have thought about Mark’s attitude toward his birthday, I can’t help but think about our relationship with God. God is our good and perfect heavenly father. He knows exactly what we need and He faithfully provides every good and perfect gift. And yet, it seems like we always want more. We never are satisfied, acting like a child after he has opened all the presents and still wants more. I was so challenged by Steve Sampson’s Sunday evening message to us last week on “Being Thankful.” I think we should all listen to it again, especially as we move toward the Thanksgiving season.

How do you see your life? Are you focused on what God has provided and is doing in your life or are you always complaining about what you lack? Take time this week to reflect on the following verse.

The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad. Psalms 126:3 (NKJV)