Have a Great Day
By Ken and Jan Merop
Cleveland, Tennessee
“Are we going to pray first?” our granddaughter asked.
“Yes!” we said. “Why don’t you pray.”
This conversation occurred when we were about to teach the Bible curriculum over the Internet for her homeschooling.
We love this time together…first with her older brother…and then with her.
Together we are growing and learning to know the Lord better and how to apply his teachings to our everyday lives.
But that morning, we were ready to plunge in until she reminded us that we had forgotten to pray first.
She readily accepted our invitation to pray and, as always, her prayers brought a smile to my face. She approaches Jesus so naturally and genuinely. She tells him what is in her heart, asks for his help, and lets him know she wants to know him better. We are so blessed and I know the Lord is, too.
This time, as she closed in prayer, and asked that we might have a great day, she surprised me with her closing words. She said, “And you have a great day, too, Jesus. Amen.”
Wow! I think the Lord must have loved her heart in this.
We often pray that we might have a great day. But have we ever considered that the One who made the day and brought it to us should also have a good day?
So, how is it that we can ‘help’ God have a good day?
The first word that comes to mind is that we approach him with thanksgiving in our hearts.
Psalm 100:4 NLT speaks of thanksgiving as a depth of gratitude. It says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
This speaks of how we are to approach God…with thankful hearts for all he is and all he has done.
Then in Colossians 2: 7 we read how we are to build our lives on him which brings a smile to his face and joy to his heart. We read, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Therefore, if we live our lives with the desire to please him, we will bring joy to him as this is what he longs for. His heart and ours to be one.
May this Thanksgiving be a time of heartfelt gratitude to the One who sacrificed it all for us. May he be pleased (and have a great day!) with our genuinely thankful hearts. Selah
Welcome to a great day
Brilliant fall leaves cascading to earth,
pumpkins, bright mums,
and whimsical scarecrows…
closeout spring and summer…
ushering in winter white.
All given by our God for us to enjoy.
Seasons of the earth remind us
of seasons of life.
Live each day to make it great
for you and the Lord.
“This is the day the Lord has made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118: 24
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After six years in the mountains of Avery County, Ken and Jan Merop are now living in the hilly Tennessee countryside of Cleveland, TN…just outside of Chattanooga. Ken’s photos can be seen at kenmeropphotography.com.
Read more Christian news from Ken and Jan HERE.
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