In America, we have an entire day dedicated to giving thanks; every last Thursday of November. We are thankful for our families, friends, the things that we have, and everything else in between. But when was the last time we took a step back and thanked God for just being our God? God is so amazing and wonderful to us that we should be in awe of how good He is. This thankfulness we have for Him should cause us to give back in order to glorify God. Giving to others and giving to God are awesome ways to glorify and bless the Lord. Hopefully, this causes a chain reaction that encourages others to do the same. When you live for Jesus, people will want to be like you. But who are they really imitating? By trying to be like you, they are trying to be like Christ. That is how our relationship with God should be. In the book of Acts, Peter and John were arrested and had to testify before the religious leaders. As they were being questioned, the Bible says that the Pharisees realized that they were fishermen! They were ordinary and uneducated men, but it says that they knew that they had been with Jesus. When people see you, do they see someone who has been with Jesus? our desire should be to be filled with grace, a rare personal quality that makes others want to follow and obey. Be thankful for all that God is and reflect that thankfulness by giving back to God in a way that others see and want to imitate. Always do what the apostle Paul does, and point their eyes back to Jesus.

Sometimes we think we have the perfect plan. We have our lives mapped out and we feel like we know what it is we are to do in life. But if it isn't what God wants, can it still be considered a good plan? Perhaps we fear giving in to the plans of God, or maybe we are impatient to wait for His plans to manifest. However, when we decide not to put conditions on what God can do in us and through us, be ready to be blown away by what the Lord has in store. Allow God to do what He wants to in you. Be patient to wait on the Lord because in His timing, whatever the Lord has will be perfect. Don’t fear the plans of God because His plans for you give you a future and a hope. His plans are not made to destroy you or tear you down, but to encourage you and build you up. When you give yourself to the Lord completely, He is sufficient and will take care of everything because He is able to. He has the ability and the power to work all good things out for you. Our God is a God of grace, or unmerited favor, and that grace stretches unconditionally for us. If the Lord is placing something on your heart to give or to do, than do it with a blessed heart and watch how He blesses you as well. Malachi 3:10 " And try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it." (NKJV) That is our God, One who blesses and loves to do it. Will you let Him?

It is no secret that we are a sinful people. To say that our hearts are naturally wicked would be a tremendous understatement. The world would say that mankind is inherently good, whereas the Christian would counter with just the opposite. However, thanks to the saving blood of Jesus Christ, our hearts have the opportunity to be transformed and conformed to the purity of Jesus. But even then, until the Lord calls us home, our hearts still have a tendency to remain tainted. Through prayer and seeking God, the condition of our hearts stands the chance to be pure and righteous; not by our own merit, but by Christ's. We desire to please God and help others, and this is the way that it should be. But we need to be continually making sure that our heart's motives remain as close to God's as possible. For instance, when we give to others or to the church, how are we doing it? Are we giving begrudgingly and almost unwillingly as if forced? Or are we giving out of the joy and generosity that comes with our passion to please the Lord? Friends, our God is good and wants our obedience; He desires nothing we have but that. Even though we have wickedness in our hearts, Jesus has moved in there in order to make us like Him. With that should come a heart desiring to please and bless the Lord by blessing others. Open your heart to Jesus and check your heart, that it may be a vessel used to glorify Him.