Thankful!

We had a great Thanksgiving with Nana, Papa, Pappy Nail, Memaw, and Pepaw. Wednesday night we helped make Thanksgiving dinner for those less fortunate. Well, I was chasing a little 21 month old around and thankfully Memaw and Pepaw were there to step in for me and help Shaun. Thanksgiving day was spent cooking, eating (with Micah under the table poking at our feet and laughing hysterically), cleaning up, and of course napping. Mumzeh was very much missed, but she and Aunt Jessie had a great time in Pearsall.

This morning's message at church really hit me pretty hard. The message began with the question, "Determine Whether or Not the Gospel is TRUE for YOU." My immediate response was YES, and then I started to think about those that might say NO and my heart breaks for those. If your answer is YES, then as believers you should:

1) Develop Your Trust in God.

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he writes, " No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him - but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit." 1 Corinthians 2:9

The best way we can communicate with God is through prayer, and when we pray, you develop trust in God.

2) Allow God to Mold You.

"So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best for him." Jeremiah 18:3-4

There are two principles here. One being, give Him permission to mold you. Second, stay in the potter's hands to develop into what He wants you to be.

We naturally create this picture of how things are going to go in our lives, but sometimes the pieces come a part and the picture changes. When you develop that trust in God, no matter what has happened or what heartaches you have gone through, you realize God still loves you. He can change you in a very deep and personal way and use you in ways you never thought possible.

3) Imitate Jesus. (This is a very bold statement)

In John 5:17-20 Jesus says, "My Father is always at his work to this very day...Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nohting by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed."

What we plan is sometimes different than what God has planned for us. When you give your life to Him and let Him mold and shape it, amazing things can happen.

The speaker we had today shared his story about when he lost his 17 year old daughter in a car crash. This was not part of his plan for his daughter, but it was for God. From his loss, he learned how to truly trust in the Lord. He wanted to create a memento for his daughter and her friend that was in the car with her. All he wanted was a tree and a bench, but through his journey of picking the right place and the right thing to remember her by, God placed people in his life; in the end, the bench and tree became a bronze statue that is now in The Market Street area in The Woodlands. It is now an inspirational piece that represents the importance of family and the relationship between a parent and child.

I am so thankful for my family and the family that God has placed into my life through Shaun. I pray that each of you answered YES to the question, Determine Whether or Not the Gospel is TRUE for YOU. If any of you answered no, or were hesitant to answering yes, I pray that God will help you to come to a confident conclusion that the Gospel is true for you. I pray that each of you will take the knowledge that God has given you and that you will use that to reach out to your neighbors and friends that do not know who He is, for you never know when our time here on earth is done and eternity with our Father in Heaven is upon us.