happyemk

You wouldn’t marry a complete stranger, would you? Well – surprise! – if you’re married, that’s exactly what you’ve done. On our wedding day, we all innocently believe the same myth: that we know and understand the person we’re marrying. But every newlywed eventually discovers that getting to know the depths of someone’s heart takes years. That’s the nature of relationship, especially one as intimate as marriage. So in that sense, we all marry a stranger. We’re in love with what little we know about our spouse, but we don’t know them. Not really. Maybe that’s why Stanley Hauerwas defines a successful marriage as “learning how to love and care for the stranger to whom you find yourself married.” What does he mean? Simply this: In countless ways, the person we commit to on our wedding day will not be the same person five, ten, or twenty years from now. In fact, neither will we. Marriage changes us. So does raising children, careers, the aging process, and other significant events

The beautiful exchange that takes place when we give our lives to God is something we can always be grateful for. Salvation means that we offer God what we have, and He gives us what He has. He takes all of our sins, faults, weaknesses, and failures, and gives us His ability, His righteousness, and His strength. He takes our diseases and sicknesses and gives us His healing and health. He takes our messed-up, failure-filled past and gives us hope of a bright future. In ourselves we are nothing; our own righteousness is like filthy rags or a polluted garment (see Isaiah 64:6). But in Christ, we have a future to be thankful for—one worth looking forward to. The term “in Christ” very simply means that we have placed our faith in Him concerning every aspect of our lives. We are in covenant with Almighty God. What an awesome thought! Prayer of Thanks:   Father, when I am feeling inferior or condemned, help me to remember who I am in Christ. Thank You that I’m forgiven, accepte

Have you ever faced a situation and said, “There is no way this can ever be?” Maybe some of these thoughts weigh on your mind: There is no way I can handle the pressure at work. There is no way I can pay my bills. There is no way to save my marriage. There is no way I can go back to college now. With God’s help, there is   always   a way. This is a beautiful truth to be grateful for. It may not be easy; it may not be convenient; it may not come quickly. You may have to go over, under, around, or through difficulty—but if you will simply keep on keeping on, you   will   find a way. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” He is the Way, and He will help you find a way even where there doesn’t seem to be one. Prayer of Thanks:   Father, I thank You that You have “made a way in the wilderness.” Help me to focus on You and not on my circumstances. Thank You that You are making a way for me today. (The Power of Being Thankful)

Receiving is important in our relationship with God. When we receive from God, we actually take into ourselves what He is offering. As we receive His love, we then have love in us. Once we are filled with God’s love, we can begin loving ourselves. We begin giving that love back to God and loving other people. The Bible teaches us that the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That simply means that when the Lord comes to dwell in our hearts because of our faith in His Son Jesus Christ, He brings love with Him, because God is love (see 1 John 4:8). We all need to ask ourselves what we are doing with the love of God that has been freely given to us. Are we rejecting it because we don’t think we are valuable enough to be loved? Or are we receiving His love with a thankful heart, believing that He is greater than our failures and weaknesses? Prayer of Thanks:   I am grateful, Father, that You love me and that Your love is perfect and unconditional. He

You and I have many opportunities to complain on a regular basis. But complaining doesn’t do any good; all complaining does is open the door for the enemy. It doesn’t solve problems; it just creates a breeding ground for greater problems. Instead of complaining, let’s choose to respond to the Lord each day by developing an attitude of gratitude. This is not just an occasional expression of thanks, but a continual lifestyle of thanksgiving. The person who has developed an “attitude of gratitude” is one who is thankful and grateful for every single thing that God is doing in his or her life day by day. Prayer of Thanks:   Father, thank You for the way You provide for every area of my life. Instead of complaining about what I want or about what I don’t have, I choose to be grateful for everything I do have. You have been good to me—thank You for Your goodness.