The year my daughter turned thirteen, she and I stood in line in the dark in a cold, misting rain outside Target on Thanksgiving until the store opened at midnight. She had birthday money burning a hole in her pocket and I agreed to take her to one store. The aisles were lined with televisions, gaming consoles, and the like advertised in limited quantities for discounted prices.
She skirted the boxes to peruse the ladies clothing section. After half an hour, she had selected an armload of items and headed to the empty dressing rooms. She deliberated for another half hour before deciding on two tops. We made the rounds through the art supplies and junk food aisles before heading toward the checkout. Every register was open but the end of the line wasn’t visible from the front. Queues of shoppers snaked through the entire pharmacy and into housewares, literally hundreds of people waiting to make their purchases.
I clicked open the app on my phone, quickly scanned the items in her hands before abandoning them on a nearby rack. I placed an order as we headed to the car. Her package was waiting for her at home when we returned from our beach holiday. That was our one and only Black Friday shopping excursion.
I know people who camped outside of Best Buy to be first in line to get a deal. I’d heard of people doing that sort of thing for concert tickets in college but this was too much to be believed. I don’t know anything I want to purchase badly enough to lose sleep over. There are certainly things that keep me awake at night, but they are the kinds of things that money cannot buy, eternal things, matters of the heart.
“Jesus gave them another parable: “There once was a woman who had ten valuable silver coins.
When she lost one of them, she swept her entire house, diligently searching every nook and cranny for that one lost coin.
When she finally found it, she gathered all her friends and neighbors for a celebration, telling them, ‘Come and celebrate with me! I had lost my precious silver coin, but now I’ve found it.’
That’s the way God responds every time one lost sinner repents and turns to him.
He says to all his angels, ‘Let’s have a joyous celebration, for the one who was lost, I have found!’ ””
Luke 15:8-10 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/luk.15.8-10.TPT
Have you recognized the value of eternity? Thanksgiving is the perfect time to take stock of your possessions and your priorities. What if you only woke up tomorrow with what you thanked God for today? Be honest. I’d have to say that my own little world would change dramatically if I uttered more thanks to God. I’m getting better at it through practice. It’s easiest when my grandchildren are with me. I thank God for them readily and I say things aloud for the benefit of their little ears.
Thank You, Jesus, for the beautiful sunshine today.
Or breeze.
Or rain.
Or colorful flowers.
Thank You, Jesus, for mommy and daddy who love us so.
Thank You, God, for Thomas (or Amelia or Timothy or Ezra) and how (s)he’s growing every day in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man, just like You did, Jesus.
Thank You, Jesus, for Poppy or Daddy who works hard to pay for our home or our car or our meal or our trip to the zoo or the beach or the apple orchard.
Thank You, Jesus, that you love us so much that you came to earth as a little baby just like Ezra or Timothy to show us what God looks like and how He loves.
Thank You, Jesus, that You gave up Your life to save mine.
Thank You, Jesus, that You are alive forever and You’re preparing a place for me to be with You for eternity. Help me trust You until You come again.
The conversations grow deeper with each prayer voiced aloud. Like last Sunday in worship when Amelia saw Jesus on the cross on the stained glass window adjacent to our aisle in the middle of the sanctuary. She’s seen the cross behind the baptistery and she knows it means Jesus loves her. When we stood to sing, she pointed her little finger toward the beautiful stained glass pane and asked, “Is that Jesus? What’s He doing?” “He’s showing you how much He loves you, baby girl.” I replied. “He held out his arms to say this much.” She smiled and hugged me tight and then we sang together songs of praise to God.
In time she’ll ask more and I’ll pray for the words I need to help her know Jesus in keeping with the promise I made on the Sunday she was dedicated. I voiced my assent on that particular Sunday, but the promise I made to God happened before she was ever conceived.
““Heaven’s kingdom realm can be illustrated like this: “A person discovered that there was hidden treasure in a field.
Upon finding it, he hid it again.
Because of uncovering such treasure, he was overjoyed and sold all that he possessed to buy the entire field just so he could have the treasure.
Heaven’s kingdom realm is also like a jewel merchant in search of rare pearls.
When he discovered one very precious and exquisite pearl, he immediately gave up all he had in exchange for it.””
Matthew 13:44-46 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/mat.13.44-46.TPT
Discovering who I am in God’s kingdom has been changing my life, my thoughts, my desires, my priorities, and my view of possessions since I was ten years old. The presence of God’s Holy Spirit in tandem with God’s Word convicts, corrects, teaches, rebukes, and trains me for life rightly aligned with God so that I am fully equipped, ready for every good work He has prepared for me. I don’t know what a day may bring but God does. I don’t have strength enough to stand against the wiles of the devil, but God provides me with armor and a sword. My flesh is as weak as yours but in my weakness, God is strong and as I come to Him, confessing my own lack and trusting in His perfect provision, the fruit of His Spirit blossoms in my life.
It is as the Psalmist so eloquently put it: “Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.”
Psalms 34:8 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.34.8.MSG
“So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course.
Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven.
The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.
There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle.
He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.”
James 1:16-18 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/jas.1.16-18.MSG
Every good and perfect gift is from God alone. He is Goodness itself and His gifts are good. His presence accompanies those who trust Him in every circumstance. He is the God of all comfort and in severest trial, His peace surpasses our ability to understand. All that has eternal value comes from Him and belongs to Him. We are merely stewards, entrusted with the Word of Life. We reflect His Life Light best when we live by His Word. People see Jesus most clearly in a life fully surrendered to God. We must never forget the Truth. We are ambassadors, seed-planters, peacemakers, love and light-bringers in this world. God alone saves.
“They trust in their treasures and boast in their riches, yet not one of them, though rich as a king, could rescue his own brother from the guilt of his sins.
No one could give God the ransom price for the soul of another, let alone for himself.
A soul’s redemption is too costly and precious for anyone to pay with earthly wealth.
The price to pay is never enough to purchase eternal life for even one, to keep them out of hell.”
Psalms 49:6-9 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.49.8.TPT
“All of you, slave and free both, were once held hostage in a sinful society.
Then a huge sum was paid out for your ransom.
So please don’t, out of old habit, slip back into being or doing what everyone else tells you.
Friends, stay where you were called to be.
God is there.
Hold the high ground with him at your side.”
1 Corinthians 7:23-24 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/1co.7.23-24.MSG
“Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you?
You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary.
You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God!”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1co.6.20.TPT
“When people know little about the God who has actually disclosed himself, it is terribly easy for them to sink into some perverted view of this God, until the image held of him has very little to do with the reality.
Most movements that spring up from the fertile soils of Christendom appeal, in one way or another, to the will of God. Few probe the will of God very deeply.
These wretched pits are terribly easy to fall into. All it takes is resolution, and no more real interest in the will of God than what we need to sanction our preferences.”
Read the Bible: 1 Samuel 4, Romans 4, Jeremiah 42, and Psalm 18
“What if we keep sinning on purpose?
What if we do it even after we know the truth?
Then there is no offering for our sins.
All we can do is to wait in fear for God to judge.
His blazing fire will burn up his enemies.
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Hebrews 10:26-27, 31 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/heb.10.26-31.NIRV
““This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son.
And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.
He came to help, to put the world right again.
Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it.
And why?
Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness.
They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.
Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure.
But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.””
John 3:16-21 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/jhn.3.19.MSG
“Lord! I’m bursting with joy over what you’ve done for me!
My lips are full of perpetual praise.
I’m boasting of you and all your works, so let all who are discouraged take heart.
Join me, everyone!
Let’s praise the Lord together.
Let’s make him famous!
Let’s make his name glorious to all.
Listen to my testimony:
I cried to God in my distress and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears!
Gaze upon him, join your life with his, and joy will come.
Your faces will glisten with glory.
You’ll never wear that shame-face again.
When I had nothing, desperate and defeated, I cried out to the Lord and he heard me, bringing his miracle-deliverance when I needed it most.
The angel of Yahweh stooped down to listen as I prayed, encircling me, empowering me, and showing me how to escape.
He will do this for everyone who fears God.
Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God.
Experience for yourself the joyous mercies he gives to all who turn to hide themselves in him.
Worship in awe and wonder, all you who’ve been made holy!
For all who fear him will feast with plenty.
Even the strong and the wealthy grow weak and hungry, but those who passionately pursue the Lord will never lack any good thing.
But the Lord has paid for the freedom of his servants, and he will freely pardon those who love him.
He will declare them free and innocent when they turn to hide themselves in him.”
Psalms 34:1-10, 22 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.34.1-22.TPT
Amen.
Let it be as You say.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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