Let's Give Thanks to the Lord Above!

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to take one of my grandchildren to school. It’s always fun to have a morning with children for they find delight in just being with you. We looked at the heavy frost and he exclaimed that it looked like snow. He also knew where all the best Christmas lights were from home to school.  He wanted to sing Christmas songs too, so we found a radio station that was playing them and listened.  We even joined in as “Here Comes Santa Claus” was belted out by Gene Autry from 1947.  As I listened I heard lyrics I was not familiar with. The phrase, “Santa Claus knows we’re all God’s children – that makes everything right”. Wow. Then still listening I heard another phrase, “Peace on earth will come to all if we just follow the Light. So let’s give thanks to the Lord above, cause Santa Claus is coming tonight”.  I don’t ever remember singing those lyrics that included God in our celebrations. My daughter said she had asked me about the lyrics recently, but I guess until I listened myself without a lot of distractions I didn’t truly hear them.

We live in a world that is trying desperately to drown all sounds and sights of the Lord of Heaven and Earth from our midst. From manger scenes to songs of the season, God is ignored, despised, rejected and removed.  Not only at the holidays, but in everyday living as well God is relegated to the coffee table or the bookcase or the occasional Sunday morning. Perhaps like I forgot the lyrics to this song, you have forgotten the lyrics God spoke into your life. You may be trying to go it alone. You may have not realized when you walked away, but you certainly feel the pain of the loneliness of leaving Him out. It’s never too late to call out to God, for our country and for ourselves.  His hearts’ desire is that we return to our Creator with our whole hearts. You may hear a lot about God, but unless you listen personally, there are many distractions that are eager to lead you away from His presence.

Oh beloved, why not take a moment this morning to renew your fellowship with the One Who gave you life! You were no accident, you are no mistake, you are not a problem, neither are you unlovable. In His sight, you are precious, beautiful, worthy and a exquisite gift to this world. Hear Him calling you? Love songs in the air, sung by the Heavenly Host, are calling out to you today. Stop and rejoice in the Truth of your life – you are cherished, you are blessed, you are forgiven, you are ransomed, you have been made honorable and you are right in His sight. Now that’s worth giving thanks to the Lord above!

Joel 2:13 Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.

I Peter 1:18-20 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days.

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 1:4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be His own people.

Psalm 36:7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.

I Corinthians 1:30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.