What wonderful gifts God gives! Homes, families, salvation, the bible, The Holy Spirit, friends, and more than I can list here. Thank You Lord for everything! I pray I show my appreciation by doing rightly. Amen. 

Giving Thanks

Lord Your word the bible is so precious to me.

It tells me how You lived and died and set me free.

It tells me all about the Father, Holy Spirit, and You.

It teaches me and tells me I can be like You too.

It helps me to grow in faith as I read.

It tells me to go and plant Godly seed.

It comforts me.

It helps me see.

It tells me you have a plan for my life.

It tells me with you I can over come evil and strife.

The bible has so much to teach and to tell.

It guides me home and warns me about hell.

It reminds me that I have the Holy Spirit to help me understand.

It reminds me that You and the Father are so close at hand.

Thank You for the Holy Spirit, salvation and the bible too.

Thank You for showing me the Father through You.

Home

When I think of home, I think of  warmth and comfort. I think of a place of refuge. A place where I feel safe and loved. A place where I can relax. A place where I feel accepted just as I am. A place where I can find help and a listening ear. A place where I belong. A place where I feel useful. These are a few of the things I think of when I think of home. I also hope and pray that churches are like that too. We who love the Lord are family and families live in homes. The church is suppose to be a type home to the believers in Jesus. The church is a representation of God's house here on earth. When we believers come together in church; it is God's family gathering together in His house a representation of our home. It should be a place where we can find love, acceptance, comfort, peace, safety,  help, and more. It is a place we are not ashamed, of where we can bring friends, strangers, people in need and others to find who and what we have found. That they too may know the joys of a real Father, family, friends, and of a real home. My home is truly where my heart is. My heart is with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In them I have found love, acceptance, comfort, peace, safety, help, and more. With them I am home even though I am physically still here on this planet. With my church family I get a little taste of  my heavenly home. We are a small representation of the multitudes who will be praising God in heaven. When we take communion we are a small representation of  His family at the banquet table. As a family of God here on earth we are blessed with seeing some things up close and happening now not later. Such as when people receive Jesus and get baptized it is like watching a baby get born into the family. When a back slider returns it is like seeing a lost loved one return from prisoner of  war camp. When these things happen oh how I want to shout and rejoice! But I also see sad things too things that break my heart such as people leaving the church. Quarreling, back biting, gossiping, lack of trust, anger, unforgiveness, and such. Sometimes we represent earthly families. When the world sees this no wonder they don't want to join. Wake up church it is up to us to show the world what a true Godly family is. We are human and we will stumble but the world needs to see a family that forgives, comforts, heals, loves, understands, offers safety, and more. They need to see the difference between their home and God's home. If there is a church out there that represents God's family rightly go ahead throw the first stone. Please throw it so I can find you because that's the kind of church I want to be part of.

I Wont put scriptures here this time because the whole bible tells us how we should be as individuals and as a body. There is plenty about what a real church should look like. The book of  Revelation 2:1-29, 3:1-22 also gives one a lot to think about. God loves us and didn't just give us a good novel to read. The bible is a map, a guide, a warning, a lesson book and so much more! He also gave us the Holy Spirit to help us learn and understand and apply what we read.

For more Sips