All is grace

What a lovely Thanksgiving my family and I had yesterday with friends... and we also had some of the most beautiful snowflakes filling the air outside! Don't you just love this cozy time of year?! :)

Every morning for the past week I've read in a book called Comforts from the Cross. It has daily reminders of the gospel and it has been so wonderful to read! I'm so thankful for the gospel...

The Lord chose us to praise Him. This is baffling... but I'm grateful that He takes hell-bound sinners and washes them clean, casts rags of self-righteousness away and clothes them in His complete righteousness. And He tells us, His children, to "...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess. 5:18 

Christ's children are so loved. Loved with a perfect love. And we have so much to be thankful for.

What else, but deep praise and thankfulness should we offer to such a faithful Father and King? I'm so thankful for the truth of the gospel that convicts and comforts me again and again.

This quote was shared by a facebook friend and I love what it says:

"A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer’s trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer’s heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord." 

-John MacArthur

I've had many opportunities to write down what I'm thankful for this November. At the beginning of this month I joined a girls' online group where we each record 7 things we're thankful for each day. Also, my Pastor requested his "flock" to write down 2 lists of what their thankful for, using the alphabet. One list from A to Z of spiritual things we're thankful for and another A to Z list of material things we're thankful for. That's 52 things to be thankful for plus the 210 at the end of this month. 

::gulps::


At first these thankfulness lists were easy...
I'm thankful for, my family, my friends, the Lord, abundant grace, the gospel, my home....etc, etc... so forth and so on.

But something eventually happens when you're required to write out that many things...

I had to look deeper. And see the grace in the common and sometimes not so beautiful things. This is where faith and trust in God's sovereignty is tested. And where trusting my Savior comes in.

Sometimes it's the things that I would love to rip out of my life that I have the most to be thankful for... our King molds each of us in His image with these sanctifying tools of grace. And sometimes they're hard to be thankful for {i.e. weaknesses so that His power is made manifest.}

I'm learning all of this ever so slowly. 

...That all is grace...