Heart Hope by Olga

Do you give thanks in everything? It seems like a foreign thought. How can we give thanks when illness, death and hardships take place in our lives?  Many years ago I was in a Bible study and we had just studied Ephesians 5:19-20 “ Sing and mak e musi c i n you r hear to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this verse it is not a suggestion, but a command that we give thanks no matter what is going on around us. Not when things are going right, not when you feel like it, not when you are happy, healthy and wealthy, but in everything. It doesn’t say we have to like the situation or be happy going through it, but it does suggest that there is always something to be thankful for in the situation. After studying the verse, I had an opportunity to put it into practice. My husband and I were on a trip with another couple. The men were out hunting for wildlife, but the girls were also hunting for somethi...

Yesterday I posted a generic T hanksgiving quiz so you could see how you are doing generally with your thankfulness. Today I have posted a test of gratitude that Charles Stanley from In Touch Ministries gave on his weekly television program. This test differs because it is specific to our Christian walk. Our relationships with the Lord can be evaluated by our gratitude. Paul used the word overflowing to describe how great our thankfulness should be. People who have grateful hearts are:  A. Positive. Thankfulness keeps us focused on what Lord is doing in our lives. B. Aware of God’s presence. When we know that the Lord is actively involved in our lives, we can sense His presence. C. Humble. We recognize the Lord as the source of every good thing and admit we had nothing to do with it. D. Peaceful. When we place our trust in Christ and watch for His activity in our lives, we have His peace. E. Thoughtful. Gratitude makes us thoughtful. F. Generous. ...

There is a pretty generic quiz to determine your thankfulness online at www.blogthings.com . It is a series of questions that you are supposed to answer with always, often, sometimes, rarely or never. I think it is a good indicator of our daily life to see if we are content. Take a look below and see where you rate in each area. Some areas will probably be better than others, but when you know where you are not doing so well you can begin to do something about it. When you think about your life, you're content. There's a lot going right. Even though your family isn't perfect, you're happy that they are your relatives. You are generally pleased with your career or school. You are about where you want to be. You feel lucky to have such great friends. As time goes on, you have started to appreciate the little things in life more. You think of how others have helped you in life and try to pay back the favor to them. Even when you...

Is anyone in your life distracted when they are with you? Maybe at lunch a friend pulls out their cell phone to send a text, or it might be during a meeting when your boss checks to see who is calling or a family member might answer the phone leaving you alone while eating dinner. It doesn’t matter what the distraction, it probably makes you feel unimportant or worthless because the person thinks that who ever they are contacting is more significant than you. That type of behavior bothers me. I have been taught that no one is more important than the person that you are currently with, so I always try to avoid being focused on the phone when in the presence of another. On the other hand I have realized that I let other things distract me when I am spending time with God. I have good intentions and get up early to have a quiet time with Him. But often I let other thoughts come into my mind. I might feel the urge to check email or send anyone a birthday wish on facebook or ...

Do you ever have days that start out so busy that you feel like you don't even have time to spend alone with God before beginning the activities? Then the day starts to spin out of control and you wished that you had spent time with God before it had gotten to that point? My friend was having that kind of day; in fact she would probably say that every day recently has been similar. You see, her mother is sick and has to go to dialysis several times a week. She is responsible for all of the duties at home from cooking to cleaning, bill paying to grocery shopping and on top of it all, her mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and cannot be left alone.  My friend’s day was spinning out of control, but the final blow was when she went to use the microwave and it would not work. She unplugged it with the intention of taking it to the back door and throwing it out. However she stopped and realized that maybe, just maybe she should have started her day with God inst...