Above All

14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. ~ Colossians 3:14-17

Above all, put on love. Why? Because it is love that binds everything together in perfect harmony. Without love in our hearts, it would be impossible for the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church in his first letter to them in the 13th chapter that love does not keep record of wrongs.

If love is reigning and ruling in your heart, and you’re wearing love like an outer garment, you will not dwell on the wrongs done to you. It doesn’t mean you won’t have the scars. Jesus kept His scars, but His wounds were healed. The scars are the memories.

You’ve been through a lot, but thank God, He brought you through. Then Paul goes on to say, “Be Thankful!” Three times in those last three verses, Paul admonishes his readers to be “Thankful.” A thankful heart is a forgiving heart. Start being thankful and know the joy of thanksgiving today. For it will be like water to your soul and medicine to your bones.

Dear LORD, thank You for always delivering me out of every situation that I’ve found myself in. Please fill me with Your never-ending love. Help me to love You and to love others. Help me to forgive the way that You forgive. Teach me to let go and rejoice in all things; in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

A Thankful Heart

29 When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. ~ Leviticus 22:29

It is said that the LORD loves a cheerful giver. During the season of Thanksgiving, it’s easier to remember to be thankful for what we have, but when the season of Thanksgiving has passed, it gets harder. The problem is that if we’re only thankful during that one week, then the LORD won’t be too happy with us. Our thanksgiving is like bringing an offering to God. And in return, our God will bless us. Why? Because our sacrifice of thanksgiving brings joy to the LORD. Just as we feel more obligated to bless a thankful person, so does God.

Even our bodies react differently to our own thanksgiving. We begin to see the world differently. Our hearts become softer. Our love begins to grow. Our hope begins to grow. To be thankful isn’t just for God or others; it’s also for us.

Thank you, LORD, for all You’ve given me. Thank you for Your many blessings. Help me to always be grateful in all situations. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Appreciate Your Inheritance

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided all mankind, He set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance. ~ Deuteronomy 32:7-9

I want you to understand that God parted up the earth and gave it to the rest of the people of the world as their inheritance but kept the land of Israel for Himself. How do you think God reacts to those who don’t appreciate and despise the inheritance He gives to them? God hates someone who despises his or her inheritance, but He loves the one who loves and appreciates his or her inheritance. That is why it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated, because Esau despised his birthright.

It is very insulting to God when He goes out of His way to give you something, and you despise it. How can you say you love God but hate what He has given you? When you love someone, you love being with them, you love the things they love, and you love the things that they give you, especially when it is really good things.

I believe it is the agenda of the globalists who have infiltrated our school system and brought about hate for our own country so that their agenda of a one-world government, with a one-world ruler, and with a one-world religion will be accomplished. That is not God’s plan; that is the plan of the enemy, so do not fall for it.

God does not want you to hate the nation in which He has brought you. Many people have migrated from their own birth countries and settled in foreign countries because of better opportunities and a better way of life for themselves and their families. Others, God has called to go and be missionaries, bringing the good news of the Gospel to its people. Either way, God wants you to love the place where you have settled or where He has brought you, and He wants you to pray for its well-being and its prosperity and peace so that you yourself will also prosper and have peace.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Appreciate Your Inheritance.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Stir Up A Spirit of Thanksgiving

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

One of my favorite quotes, which I’ve been trying to do a better job of putting into practice, says, “Appreciate the little things because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” It’s the little things in life that lay the foundation for the big things. The only way to ever appreciate and be thankful for and grateful for the big things is to appreciate, be thankful for, and be grateful for the little things along the way.

If you’re battling an addiction and can’t seem to get free, break it one day at a time. If you’re battling fear, break it one fear at a time. When you see a victory, regardless of how small, praise. Rejoice. Give thanks. Why? Because you are now one more step closer to freedom than you were before, and that is something to be thankful for.

We have to be thankful. We have to stir up the Spirit of Thanksgiving within us. This isn’t always a simple task. Sometimes this is rough, but it’s something we strive towards because the LORD loves and blesses a grateful heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stir Up A Spirit of Thanksgiving.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Always Remain Grateful

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

Today, as we enjoy our barbecue and family time, let’s not forget what we’re commemorating. We enjoy constitutional freedoms that no other country has the liberty of enjoying. We have the freedom to evil burn our flag and run down our nation without fear of being arrested or executed. This freedom that we have isn’t free. It wasn’t just thrown onto our laps one day out of nowhere. Our freedoms were bought and paid for at the highest price, the lives of many young and old male and female Americans. They paid for our physical freedom with their lives so that we didn’t have to. Let’s not forget their sacrifice. Their ultimate act of love, laying down their lives for us.

They bought and paid for our physical freedom here in America with their spilled blood, just as Jesus bought and paid for our spiritual freedom with His spilled blood. There is no such thing as free freedom, so don’t waste it. Don’t let it slip away. Don’t let their sacrifice be for nothing. Always remember and never forget all who came before us, paving the way for us to have the lives that we do.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Always Remain Grateful.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Lay Everything At His Feet

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for Him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ~ John 12:1-3

Mary took the most valuable and expensive possession that she owned and anointed Jesus’ feet with it. But she didn’t stop there. She then took her hair and wiped His feet with it. She wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair because she was humbling herself in repentance for her unbelief. Why her hair?

According to Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, a woman’s hair is her glory (1 Corinthians 11:14-15). This is why Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair. Martha, Mary and Lazarus’ sister, continued in her previous role, serving. She served before, and she served now. Why? Because her faith hadn’t been mutilated. Her faith hadn’t been violated. It was intact before Lazarus’ death, after Lazarus’ death, and after Lazarus was raised from the dead. She passed the test. She remained in the sheepfold. She didn’t stray, so she continued with what worked for her. But Mary returned to Jesus’ feet, except this time, she brought her most expensive and valuable possession and poured it on Jesus’ feet, then proceeded to wipe His feet with her hair, her glory. Mary understood how close she had come to walking away from her salvation entirely. She understood how close she had come to spiritual death. So, she took all that she had and laid it at Jesus’ feet. She humbled herself as low as she could.

Jesus said the one who is forgiven much loves much. We’ve all been forgiven a great deal, but for those of us who haven’t committed sins that we’ve deemed as greater or worse sins, we look down on those who have committed them. We think ourselves better than them, but in actuality, we aren’t. We need the same amount of forgiveness as anyone else. There aren’t multiple ways to God. There is only one way. One way that is for all people, regardless of the severity of their sin. So, we’ve all been forgiven much.

If only we could see and truly understand the severity of our own sins, we would each be like Mary and wipe the feet of Jesus with our glory. We would lay everything we have at His feet. We would humble ourselves as low as we possibly can because of His great love, mercy, and grace that He has shown to us. If we could only see how much God has forgiven us, we would appreciate His grace much more. If we could only grasp the price Christ paid for our sins, we wouldn’t be so quick to forget His sacrifice and fall into sin again. Never forget the price paid and the eminence mercy and grace we have been shown and given.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Lay Everything At His Feet.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Thank The LORD For Mothers

15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. 16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. ~ Proverbs 31:15-21

So many things can define a mother, but the greatest definition of a mother is a caretaker. Why? A mother puts the needs of the household above the needs of her own. She makes sure her household has what it needs in order to run smoothly. She’ll sacrifice whatever is necessary in order to make sure that she takes care of her family, including sacrificing sleep. One of my favorite songs, as a kid, was The Christmas Shoes by Newsong. I think it depicts a mother perfectly when the little boy says,

Mama made Christmas good at our house
Though most years she just did without

Mothers will do without so that their families can have and enjoy. The trait of a caretaker is so important for a mother to embody that God Himself compares His caretaking to that of a mother (Isaiah 66:13).

A mother will sacrifice for her family, unlike anyone else. She’ll go without so that no one else has to. She’ll take the abuse of an angry or hurting child in order to get to the root of the problem and mend a broken heart or wound. There is nothing like the love, comfort, and sacrifice of a mother. They are irreplaceable.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Thank The LORD For Mothers.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Don’t Forget To Say Thank You

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. ~ Philippians 4:6NLT

We always quote to never be anxious about anything, but in all circumstances, make your request be known to God. This is a common teaching in the Church, yet the Church is ridden with fear and anxiety. We worry about any and everything, just like the world. Why? Because we aren’t making our requests known to God accurately. We are to make our requests known with thanksgiving.

When was the last time you prayed a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking Him for all that He’s done for you? All that He’s doing for you? And all that He will do for you? We are to enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. Maybe we don’t have His peace because we don’t know how to receive it. Maybe if we focused more on the things we are thankful for rather than the things we believe we need in that moment, the peace of God will begin to work in our lives.

Even secular studies have shown that the more thankful a person is, the less anxious, stressed, worried, etc., that person is. Today I challenge you to not just bring complaints before God and expect Him to change things for you. Instead, start each morning out with thanksgiving. Thank Him for keeping you safe as you slept. For His mercy and grace that gave you breath this morning. Thank Him for all He has done, is doing, and will be doing in your life. Then make your request to the LORD. Then thank Him for hearing you. The more thankful you are, the more you will see yourself and your life change.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Forget To Say Thank You.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Be Thankful For Our God

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~ John 14:5-6

In response to Thomas’ question about knowing the way, Jesus leaves no doubt in the minds of His hearers. He made it plain and simple by saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” But Jesus doesn’t leave it there; He takes it a step further and adds a very bold claim; some may even consider it a narrow-minded statement. “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So, there is no doubt what Jesus’ claim is here. There is no other way to salvation except through Him. It is through faith in Jesus Christ, the faith that He has paid the penalty for our sins and that it is only He who can forgive sins, and because of our repentance and belief in Him we receive salvation.

Our entire salvation has been purchased by Jesus. Knowing that we don’t have any way of achieving salvation through our own merit or works, Jesus set aside His Godliness and took on flesh so that He could take our place on the cross. We have so much to be thankful for. There’s no other religion where the Almighty God comes down to save all of the wicked mankind.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Thankful For Our God.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:

Cling To The New and Better Covenant

24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ~ Hebrews 12:24

Everything has a set time, and all things happen in that set time. There was a time before the Law, during the Law, and after the Law. Before the Law was a time when lawlessness ruled, during the Law was a time when sin ruled, but now, the Law has been removed, and we are under a new and better covenant. A covenant that brings liberty to the follower and grace to the believer. A covenant built on the hope of our LORD and Savior to redeem us from our sins and this mortal body.

We have so much to be thankful for because of this new and better covenant, but because we now have a grace like never before, we take this covenant for granted. We live day to day as if we won’t be judged for the way that we live. We speak as if our words won’t be judged one day. We lie to ourselves and to others so that we can ignore the conviction that we feel deep down. This new covenant allows us to enter into the very presence of God Almighty and for Him to dwell inside of us, so why do we take it for granted? We forget all that Christ did for us so easily because we’re not as thankful and grateful as we should be.

When we’re filled with thankfulness and gratefulness, we never forget what someone has done for us. We remember it year after year after year. It stays with us. Maybe we need to learn how to be more thankful and grateful when it comes to our salvation. Our entire salvation is in our hands. Jesus already paid the price; it’s now on us whether we accept it and follow Him or turn away and say no, thank you, I’m better off alone. There’s an old song that says:

There is a man
His name- His name is Jesus
He use to live in this world we’re going through
He died and He’s gone to prepare a place for you
What more do you want Him to do?
What more do you want Him to do
To prove that He loves you-
He do
He died on the cross to save – save us all
What more do you want Him to do?

Jesus did everything that we need in order to gain salvation, yet we’re not grateful. He gave His very life so that we might be saved, yet we’re not thankful. He gave us a new and better covenant through the pouring out of His own blood, yet we continue in our sin and expect Him to accept us, refusing to change. There’s so much for us to be thankful for, so why aren’t we? I challenge each of you to start each day thanking God for at least one thing and end each day thanking God for at least one thing. Then keep adding to that list until your heart softens and you’re filled with thankfulness.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cling To The New and Better Covenant.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This: