Acorns of Thanksgiving                  Part One

It is the little things that count in this world. Do you remember the saying, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” It means that great things often have small beginnings. When I was in nursing  school my mama gave me a golden acorn pendant, encouraging me that if I kept up at the little things…good things would be the result.
Prayer is like an acorn in that way; small and modest things can become very large and impressive with time via prayer. Or how about how you help others? A simple task can mean the world to someone in need.


Here is a list of some of my “Acorns of Thanksgiving”

Prayer and What it can Change and Mature:

Philippians 4:6, “Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come.” (VOICE)

 
Luke 11:9-10, “So I tell you, ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. Yes, everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.” (NCV)

Grace…a Free Gift:

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it.” (GNT)

Mercy

1 Peter 1:3-4, “Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.” (GNT) 

Matthew 5:7, “They are blessed who show mercy to others, for God will show mercy to them.” (NCV)

1 John 4:21, “The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love others also.” (GNT)

Service & Love, How they can make a Difference

John 13:34-35, “So I give you a new command: Love each other deeply and fully. Remember the ways that I have loved you, and demonstrate your love for others in those same ways. Everyone will know you as My followers if you demonstrate your love to others.” (VOICE)

Love is Like an Acorn…it Grows when Planted

James 1:21-22, “Therefore, with humility, set aside all moral filth and the growth of wickedness, and welcome the word planted deep inside you—the very word that is able to save you. You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves.” (CEB)

Luke 6:35, “If you want to be extraordinary—love your enemies! Do good without restraint! Lend with abandon! Don’t expect anything in return! Then you’ll receive the truly great reward—you will be children of the Most High—for God is kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked.” (VOICE)

1 John 4:21, “The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love others also.” (GNT)

Love Provided the Bridge to Heaven

John 3:16, “Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” (ERV)

John 3:17-18, “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.” (MSG)


Happy Thanksgiving!
Caprice <><

 Have you ever lost anything? Searching everywhere for the item that was misplaced, although you look, that precious belonging seems to escapes you. Then there is the kind of “lost” where everything appears gone, like the sinking feeling rolled up into a stunned stillness that follows the devastation of fire damage. It is a literally paralyzing and unbelievable grinding halt to all that you know.

One of the jobs of the CSBDRM team was to help homeowners relocate any possible items that may have survived the damage of fire. Two of our team members asked the daughter of the “T”, where her mom who had died the year before, may have placed her “keepsakes”. As a possible location amongst the ash and rumble was determined, they started their search. It paid off, that day they found one “keepsake-coin” that the mom had collected over the years from different family vacations. That night as a team, we prayed that more coins would be found the next day.

Luke 15:8, “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” (NIV)

The next morning the sifting resumed as all of our thoughts and prayers were with those who searched through the ashes. We knew that the family would be blessed by the determination of those who searched for that which was lost…and then one by one more coins were found!

Luke 15:9,  “And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ (NIV)

Our hearts were filled with joy as we witnessed the gifting of the lost coins to the family. My words can not fully expressed what we saw, felt and understood.

Luke 15:10, “Jesus said, “In the same way God’s angels are happy when even one person turns to him.” (CEV)

Impression #3                  Don’t give up!

Be faithful in all you do whether for your family, friends or strangers…serving, searching and loving them with the strength that comes from the relationship we have with God and the gift of Jesus; when he centered himself on that cross for our sins…the wrong, the cruel, the selfishness of who we can be.

Because…

2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.”

Prayer:

Lord, Please help those who have been buried in the ashes and rubble of this world. Help them to see your loving hand as it reaches down to lift them up, as they recognize the gift of the cross and turn to you! Amen

2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (NIV)

Caprice <><

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GIVE to the relief effort. Make your donations payable to the California Southern Baptist Convention designated for California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministries. You can also go online at www.csbc.com and click on the Disaster Relief logo; see sample below.

Yesterday, in my own community, I witnessed a house burn to the ground…it was paralyzing watching the flames engulf a home. No words can express what it feels like…it was gone in 40 minutes…all gone. Reduced to ash and rubble a lifetime of memories…

“Overwhelmed”

“T” is a man that we served in what is known as ash out; where you clean up the debris and ash to give the owner a sense of “I can go on from here”. The first time I met “T”, he had come to the church seeking help with the clean up of his property. He was “overwhelmed”…and to add insult to injury…one year ago his wife had died. She was his helpmate and he missed her terribly, so much so, that prior to the fire he had left everything of hers exactly where she had left it, including where she had last parked her car. He had not yet finished grieving the loss of his wife, and now this…his home…with all of her memories had burned to the ground…it was all gone…“T” was shaken to his very soul. Furious at the circumstances that surrounded him, angry at yet another “hit” in this life.

With an edge in his voice that dared us to provide hope to his bleak situation, he resolved himself to ask for help with the clean up, not easy for an independent man use to doing for himself and his family…no home…a twisted pile of remains…desolation everywhere…how could he manage?

The team got to work removing the twisted metal piece-by-piece, cleaning up the ash…sorting through what was left.

Impression #2                  God cares when you hurt

Have you ever been angry at your situation…shaking a fist at God…your shoulders sag in despair…deep sighs of discouragement surround your heart?

 

Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (NLT)

 

God cares you know. He cares that our hearts are broken.

 

1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (NLT)

If you have never asked God for help, why not ask him to show you the way to new beginnings?

 

Proverbs 3:4-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

A prayer of three words is sometimes all you need…”Help me Jesus!”

 

1 Peter 5:10, “But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm.” (CEV)

Psalm 107:28-29, “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. (NLT)

 

Caprice <><

 

Don’t ever forget…

 

Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (NIV)