GREENE STREET LETTERS: Attitude of Gratitude

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Attitude of Gratitude

Psalm 118:29

Give thanks to the LORD...

for He is good.....
for His lovingkindness is everlasting....

First word...."GIVE"..

Give of our own free will....

It isn't a commandment, so to speak...but instruction.

Offer unto God..

Not because you have to, but because you want to.

Second word...."THANKS".

To offer thanks, there must be the realization that something has been offered to you or afforded you.

The reality of the LORD must have been made evident in ones life.

The reality of God's ability to transfer one from the kingdom of darkness over into the kingdom of God has

been made real. That being the case I want to break into an endless chorus of "Thank-ey's"

Thank you

Thank you...

Well, you get the idea.

Why all the heavenly directed thank-you's?

Because God is good.

Not "God was good"

"God will be good"

But the now-right-here-reality that God IS good.

His nature is goodness.

It is this love and goodness that caused God to rescue us from ourselves and our sin.

He didn't have to do it.

He chose to.

Why?

Because God is good.

The verse from Psalm ends with a promise.

And as you know, God is not a promise breaker.

"His lovingkindness or mercy is everlasting."

Without end.

Never wavering in His ability or power....

Everlasting.

For that I offer a hearty "YOU ARE GOOD GOD AND I PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME!"

Think of this today...

and don't forget your manners...

To say "Thank you" to God.

God on you...

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Attitude of Gratitude

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD