What Can We Give to God?

How can I repay the LORD for all the good He has done for me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
Psalm 116:12-14

What does God desire in return for his love? He wants us to accept his plan of salvation from the evil in this world. He wants us to call on his name every day. He wants us to be true to our vows. Vows should be few and not broken. He will forgive though, if we break a vow to him.

Song, Two Hands, One Heart.  by Don Moen,

What can I give?
What can I bring?
That would be pleasing to my King
I'll give my heart, not just a part
I'm lifting up my everything
Well it's all I have to offer
And it's all I have to give

Two hands, one heart
One life to offer You
Two hands, one heart
That's what I give to You

Use me today I know You can
Lord I surrender to Your plan
You made this heart
And you made these hands
Take me and use me as I am
Well it's all I have to offer
And it's all I have to give

Little becomes a lot
When it's in Your hands
Take me and make me more like You
Well it may not seem like much
But with the Master's touch
I know that I'll be more like You

Two hands one heart
One life to offer You
Two hands one heart
That's what I give to You

More lyrics http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/don_moen/two_hands_one_heart-lyrics-1021542.html#ixzz3l5PO55Dd

Three Things to be Thankful For in Suffering.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. My grandson was missed again this year, but we did have a Christmas full of love and joy. When someone you love so much is gone life is never the same; but you can rejoice in knowing you will see them again one day in heaven.

Hummingbird photo by: Mdf, Edited by Laitche  

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colibri-thalassinus-001-edit.jpg

Jeff Miller, preaching on Philippians 1:1-12 speaks of how there are three things to be grateful for when we are suffering.   https://bible.org/series/contradicting-hardship-philippians This got me to thinking how I feel about these three kinds of gratitude.

1. We can be grateful for God.

We have a God who is kind, loving, forgiving, strong, wise, just and creative. How blessed it is to have such a God. Imagine the gods of the pagans; gods who were cruel and had to be bribed with gifts and sometimes the death of children. I'm so grateful our God is the opposite of the pagan gods. He is the God who made the galaxies and also a hummingbird. An amazing God, and how fortunate we are to have him.

2. We can be grateful for others.

I'm so grateful for my family. We are not a perfect family. We have differing opinions and sometimes there is conflict, but we love each other and we are there for each other. If you have no family, you may have friends you can count on. Perhaps you have no family and maybe no friends. Ask God to send someone into your life and he will. Even if there is only one person we can talk with and be ourselves with, that is something to be grateful for.

3. We can be grateful for the gospel.

I take the word "gospel" as meaning the good news of salvation because of what Jesus has done for me in dying on the cross. The story of redemption actually started in the Garden of Eden and continues on for eternity. I'm so grateful for the gospel. I'm so grateful God loved us enough to suffer and die for us and give us all a chance to live with him forever.

   

Running Water.

I was washing some dishes this morning and had trouble with our tap. If you move it a tiny bit too far the water is too hot, then if you move it a tiny bit the other way the water is too cold. I felt frustrated and complained about it. Then I heard God say to me, "Many people don't have running water." I said, "That is true, and not only do I have running water - I can have it hot if I want to."

The Lord has been showing me time and again (I'm a slow learner) that I should be grateful for what I consider small things. They aren't small. No blessing is small. I just need to look around my home to find many things to be thankful for. I can look outside and see the beauty of nature. I can look in a mirror and realize I can see, think, and feel.

Father - help us all to be grateful for all your many blessings.