God is still in control

Recently, each night as I go to bed, I am no longer overwhelmed by the television broadcasts of  the pressing issues and endless turmoil engulfing our nation and the nations of the world. Each morning, I wake up with gratitude in my heart for understanding something clearly about each new day. As the day unfolds, I remember the words of 1 Timothy 3:1 (Amplified Bible):

But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].

I also remember words on a silver-framed plaque given to me: “God is in control!” These comforting words remind us to “de-stress” and hold to His unchanging hand that protects and provides for us. Other scriptures also came to mind, beginning with Isaiah 43:10, 13 (Amplified Bible):

‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you;
I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’

¹³ 
“For I the Lord your God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord],
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

Another verse providing comfort and strength particularly at this time comes from

Psalm 46:10 (New Living Translation):

Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.

The verse begins with a quiet command to be still, to take no action and enter a state of tranquility. We recognize, however, following such a simple command is sometime easier said than done. Note the circumstances surrounding one of the first references to the expression found in Exodus 14:14. Here Moses is leading the Children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt moving toward the Promised Land. Shortly after departing, they encounter a crisis that screamed “No Way!” Straight ahead is the Red Sea, and behind are the armies of Pharaoh in hot pursuit. Moses speaks words of assurance:

Exodus 14:14 (Revised Standard Version):

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still.”

Psalm 37:7 also provides this exhortation [Amplified Bible]:

Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him; Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who conducts wicked schemes.

When believers recognize the magnitude of God’s power and His love toward us, there is never a need to fear, even though we may encounter tempestuous times that attempt to shake our very foundations. The Psalmist offers thanks to God for His deliverance out of all our troubles:

Psalm 107: 29-30:

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress;
²⁹ he made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰ Then they were glad because they had quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.

As we encounter the storms of life, we can anchor our souls in the Lord, knowing that He is in control as we recall Psalm 46:10, the inspiration for this original poetic response:

Be Still and Know

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalms 46:10

Be still and know that I am God, that I am the eternal one.

Though your cherished dreams seem to have faded and gone

The way of all flesh, my divine plans you shall see,

As I weave the tapestry of eternity.

Though you seem forsaken, you are never alone,

Even when the burden of dark sin cannot atone,

And the hearts of men have hardened and turned to stone:

Be still and know that I am God.

Though storms may overwhelm, and friends may abandon

When diseases surface to assault flesh and bone.

These scenes reveal people whom we thought we could be,

As words of the Psalmist also help us to see,

When this life is over, and all is said and done:

Be still and know that I am God.

As we pause and calmly think about that—as we “Selah” this message, we also give heed to these words—

We Will be Still

We will be still and know that God is with us.

We will be still and anchor our souls in peace.

As we trust in the Lord, every storm will cease.

In closing, listen to Elevation Worship along with Naomi Raine and Israel Houghton who offer this reminder: “God will Work It Out”:

All that Jesus Christ endured was more than enough

Today, March 29, 2024, on this “Good Friday,” as I was starting my morning devotional, I thought of a seminar I am taking related to financial education, and a  verse of scripture came to mind, as I am applying the principles that I have been learning in the seminar to my individual situation:

1 Corinthians 8:9

⁹ You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

If at no other time of the year, this week celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we recognize the blessings and benefits that accrued to our deficit accounts as a result of the ultimate sacrifice of the precious Lamb of God. About fifteen years ago, while reflecting upon the passion of Jesus Christ, I expressed my thoughts in this original psalm:

More Than Enough

How much is enough?

Can you measure the length of each scar on his back?

Can you trace the depth of each gash and follow each track?

Can you extract and analyze sweat, like drops of blood?

Can you remove water and blood and then weigh the good?

Can you collect the tears and hold them in a vial?

Can you assess the shame and disgrace of a trumped-up trial?

How much is enough?

            One more mocking bow, one more man to spit in his face,

            One more taunting gesture, one more mark of disgrace.

            One more lash, one more gash, one more blow to the head,

            As he endured the cross, despising the shame as he bled.

            To smash once more, one blow short of certain death.

            He cried, “It is finished” then yielded his last breath.

How much is enough?

Who can assess the worth of his blood and establish a price

For the precious Lamb of God, unblemished, sinless sacrifice?

God’s bounty of mercy is sufficient. His deep love will suffice.

Despite the deficit, God balances each account to set it right.

Where sin once had free reign, now grace has abounded instead.

The Lord himself provided the Lamb, whom He raised from the dead.

In His gracious goodness, Jehovah-Jireh reminds us

That He is more than enough, yes, so much more than enough.

In personalizing the sacrifice of the Savior, I thought of this song with a similar title “More than Enough” performed by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

Black History Month 2024

February 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month. Each year we celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans and recognize their distinctive contributions to the rich tapestry representing our nation.  During this time, I often reflect upon important impressions occurring during my childhood in Gary, Indiana, “the town that knew me when.” Last year I offered a presentation entitled “My Soul Looks Back, All the Way Back and Wonders. . . A Celebration of Black History in Poetry.”

As I began, I asked the audience to journey back with me seventy-three years to February 22, 1951, when I was eight years old in the third grade, back in the middle of the 20^th Century. I recall looking at my class picture and noticing the bulletin board in the back of the classroom decorated with these words: “Negro History Week.”  Since that time, the celebration and recognition of the contribution of African Americans has been expanded to Black History Month.

The bulletin board in the picture reminded me that at that time I consciously determined that I would someday “make history” and do something significant as an African American. Back in the day, it was expressed this way: “I wanted to be a credit to the Negro Race.”

Today, I am a former registered pharmacist, a published poet and a writer, and a retired professor of African American Literature, who continues to teach online. As an adjunct professor, I continue to teach  because “I love the teacher’s task and find my richest prize in eyes that open and in minds that ask.”

Just as I made up my mind in elementary school that I would someday make a significant contribution as an African American and someday do something to “make history,” I would like to think that there are countless other young men and women inspired by that same desire to “make history,” each in their unique way.

So often we think of history as people and events of the past; however, we must remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, “The reader of history must replace the words ‘there’ and ‘then’ with the words ‘here’ and ‘now.’” 

As we celebrate Black History Month, I also want to remind readers that the recognition of the contributions of Black Americans must not just take place during February. The celebration should be ongoing. To commemorate this grand occasion, I offer this poetic tribute:  

New Horizons

A Psalm of Celebration

This month we turn back the pages of time

To obscure sections in history’s scrapbook.

With fervor, we seek to correct the crime

Of omission of Black heroes.  We look.

For ministers, martyrs, masters of rhyme,

Familiar names of those who first took

Part in the legacy that seeks to bring

Black people to lift every voice and sing.

Yet our eyes should not focus on the past

Too long.  We need to look ahead and see

That heroic memories cannot last.

Living heroes must transcend ebony

Images; we need women who stand fast,

Men who live to unveil the mystery.

Heroes must live beyond this month.  Somehow

Our lives must tell that history is now.

We who know our true heritage are the ones

To set our vision toward new horizons.  

Reflections on my identity, still unfolding

This morning during my morning devotional time, my mind went back to a time during the beginning stages of my development as a teacher and writer 53 years ago. E.W. Bullinger in his signature work Number in Scripture: Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance, notes the importance of the number 50 as “…the number of jubilee or deliverance and rest following on as the result of the perfect consummation of time.” He also notes that the number three “…stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. All things that are especially complete are stamped with this number three.”Louis Armand Paulin in his book, The Meaning of 53, notes that number is often associated with creativity and self-expression.

In 1971, I remember being asked to produce a writing sample, and I wrote a brief commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:10. Since that time, I have come to appreciate the same verse in the Amplified Bible:

1 Corinthians 1:10 [Amplified]

But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments.

The Darby Bible offers a similar translation:

 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all say the same thing, and that there be not among you divisions; but that ye be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same opinion.

Someone has said that opinions are like noses—everybody has one. Even so, believers are encouraged to hold the same opinion regarding who we are in Christ. The verse from 1 Corinthians also came to mind in response to this statement by Nate Clements: “Don’t let someone else’s opinion become your reality.”

As we continue on our lifelong journey of discovering who we are, we often encounter varying opinions, as our identity unfolds through the changing seasons of life. Recently, conversations with various individuals have centered on the issue of identity, as everyone struggles to find and maintain his or her “true identity.” Among the principal challenges of the whole of humanity is to find the answer to two of life’s fundamental questions: “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” For the believer, God, our Father, the Creator of Life, provides the answers to those questions and every other question anyone may seek to find answers to in the Word of God which becomes the mirror in which we see ourselves clearly revealed. The following poem expresses what I am learning about who I really am:

My True Identity

But we all, with open face beholding

as in a glass the glory of the Lord,

are changed into the same image from glory to glory,

even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

II Corinthians 3:18

I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see,

Not the man I am but the man I shall become,

Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.

Released from shackles of a slave mentality,

The bondage of Egypt I have now overcome.

I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see.

I smile as I keep singing of “A Brand New Me.”

In my heart, I have prepared for God a new home,

Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.

“I am what I am” is my new reality:

A first-born son, model of the Father’s Kingdom.

I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see.

God’s blessings in double measure overtake me,

Flowing by the spirit in knowledge and wisdom,

Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.

I live to fulfill my prophetic destiny,

As joys unfold with even greater joys to come.

I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see

Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.

As a believer, the essence of who I am is grounded in God’s opinion of me and not any individual’s assessment of who I am.  We conclude with Israel Houghton and New Breed expressing this truth in the song “Identity.”

A Prayer for 2024

Some say 2024 is the year of the “Open Door,”

But God has so much more in store:

Listen carefully and hear what I say,

“Walk through, not just a door, but a mighty gateway!”

A Prayer for 2024

May God give you more and more grace and peace

as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus, our Lord.

2 Peter 1:2 [New Living Translation]                 

May the overflow of God’s favor never cease.                                

May He expand your vision to see even more.                               

We pray God will give you more and more grace and peace.      

May you embrace God’s will in 2024.                                             

Look in the mirror and behold God’s masterpiece.                       

All that you have lost, the Lord, our God, will restore.                   

We pray God will give you more and more grace and peace.      

May you embrace God’s will in 2024.                                              

God’s faithful love never ends! His mercies never cease.            

May God increase you and your children, more and more.          

Look in the mirror and behold God’s masterpiece.                       

All that you have lost, the Lord, our God will restore.   

                

We pray God will give you more and more grace and peace,   

May you embrace God’s will in 2024.                                           

God’s faithful love never ends! His mercies never cease.          

May the Lord increase you and your children, more and more.      

Look in the mirror and behold God’s masterpiece.                   

All that you have lost, the Lord, our God will restore.              

Open your hearts to receive all that He will release.           

God is willing to give far more than we could ask for.         

All that the Lord promised, He will greatly increase.                     

Walk through this great gateway, not just an open door.               

Look in the mirror and behold God’s masterpiece.                       

All that you have lost, the Lord, our God will restore.         

Many times, we end our prayers with “Amen,” translated as “it is so, so be it, or thus shall it most surely be,” or some other variation of this widely spoken affirmation. Amen is commonly used throughout the Old and New Testaments. According to Louis Ginzberg, “Amen” has been described as “perhaps the most widely known word in human speech,” as the liturgical response is used not only in Christianity but in Judaism, Islam, and other religious practices.

The entire Bible is a matchless collection of exceeding great and precious promises, all of which God is committed to fulfill. Every promise made, God will keep, as He confirms the whole of His word with the last word used in the Bible, “Amen.”

We conclude our Prayer for 2024” with this music video from Elevation Worship as a final punctuation mark to remind us: “It is so!”:

       

A Teacher Who Touched Eternity: Tribute to Mrs. Hortense House

Recently, I learned of the passing of Mrs. Hortense House, my former English teacher at Froebel High School, in Gary, Indiana.  As a  member of the Class of 1960, I was asked to offer this tribute to a most remarkable woman who meant so much to so many students, faculty, and others whose lives she impacted in life-changing ways.

As I reflect upon the life and legacy of Mrs. House, I recall that our paths intersected in significant ways, going back to my first encounter with this exceptional teacher during my junior year where she introduced our class to reading and analyzing poetry. She required her students to memorize two poems: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, whose stalwart words I have come to appreciate even more, now that I have matured, and “Barter” by Sara Teasdale, whose exquisite lyrics evoke a deep sense of gratitude.  

Forty years later, after being in Mrs. House’s class, I obtained a position as an Associate Professor in English at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH, where I included both of those poems in my composition and literature syllabus. To this day, I still know both of those poems by heart, and my understanding and appreciation of these two classic works have certainly deepened because of Mrs. House.

In 2003, I published an article in the National Education Association Journal, “Reflections on My Journey Through Academe,” an essay written in celebration of my sixtieth birthday. I recalled some of the influential teachers whom I encountered from grade school through graduate school and beyond. One of the teachers who deeply touched my life was Mrs. House. I spoke specifically about the two poems she required our class to memorize.

I was asked to write a special tribute to this special teacher on behalf of the Class of 1960 from Froebel High School, and I concluded with an original poem, “The Teacher’s Task,” first written and recited for a colleague who retired after teaching more than thirty years at Fayetteville State University, the first institution of higher learning where I taught fulltime from 1985-94. Since that time, I have recited “The Teacher’s Task” countless times, but my sharing the poem today became even more meaningful as I recognized that it contains a literary allusion to a line from Robert Frost’s “Road Not Taken,” one of the poems Mrs. House introduced me to sixty-five years ago: “In the dark of night should a doubt arise/A question of the road less traveled by.”

And so I would like to close my reflection with this tribute to an unforgettable teacher, mentor, and friend.

The Teacher’s Task

In memory of Hortense House

1930-2023

The smallest spark can kindle a desire,

Ignite a fire to stir and warm the heart,

And through the years the embers from that fire

Will glow with light inflamed from that same start.

In the dark of night should a doubt arise,

A question of the road less traveled by,

Recall that same glow in a student’s eyes

Shall dispel the chill of questioning why.

You who labored in the classroom have learned

That rapport with student, colleague, and friend

Offers recompense beyond wages earned.

You who loved the teacher’s task we commend:

May joy warm your heart and sustain you yet,

With memories of success and no regret.

We also recall the words of Henry Adams:

“A teacher touches eternity. You can never tell where his or her influence stops.”

We close with this reminder that in times of deepest sorrow and loss, we take comfort, great, strength, and assurance from the Word of God found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.

¹⁷ Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words.

The Birth of Jesus Christ: What a Good News Day!

Three days before Christmas Day, the Verse of the Day for December 22, 2023, is the familiar passage describing the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in Luke 2:8-11 [New Living Translation] :

⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Verse 10 indicates that the angel brought “good news” to the shepherds and ultimately to the entire world. That day was certainly “A Good News Day,” poetically expressed in this way:

Good News Day

This is the day the LORD has made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

It’s a good new day

 no blues day

 new shoes

 no way to lose

 What a good new day

 It’s a great day

 I can’t wait day

 lift your voice

 let’s rejoice

 Good God, a good news day

 It’s a payday

 goin’ my way day

 no nay–all yea

  what you say

  Such a good news day

  It’s a live-it-up day

  overflowin’ cup day

  It’s a bright and bubbly

  doubly lovely

  Show-nuff good news day

This celebrated passage from Luke 2 has served as the backdrop for countless nativity scenes that have been displayed for decades across the country. Within the past few years, some citizens and advocacy groups demanding the separation of church and state have objected to public displays depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. Despite the resistance, many communities continue to display nativity scenes on public property: from historic Belen, New Mexico, whose name means Bethlehem in Spanish to the Pennsylvania city with that same name and many places in between.  All across the nation, Christians continue to proclaim the “good news of the birth of Christ (the Messiah) the Lord.”

We close with the contemporary Christian vocal group Avalon, as they share some “Good News”:

As this year concludes and as 2024 unfolds, may every day be a “Good News Day” for all who read these words.

Happy Anniversary AJ and Shajuan

Angela and Shajuan Joyner on their wedding day, December 21, 2014

Nine years ago, December 21, 2014, was a “doubly lovely Good News Day” for me as the father of the bride, as well as the clergyman who performed the marriage ceremony for Angela Renee Johnson and Shajuan Jermaine Joyner. In celebration of their anniversary, here is an excerpt from their wedding program:

Indeed, this is a season of giving, and certainly, marriage provides endless opportunities for giving, as these words express:

Sharing is caring:

A love of endless giving                                  

Marriage isn’t funny,

But it can be fun,

Taking two distinct parts

And blending them into one.

In marriage, we give and receive to live.

Just how this works is so hard to conceive.

But the same hand that opens up to give

Is the same hand that opens to receive.

Give and then see what the Lord has in store.

Live and start to give and then give some more.

When at last you come to find a closed door,

Open up and then give and give some more.

Love ever lives,

Outlives, forgives,

And while it stands

With open hands, it lives.

For this is love’s prerogative:

To give and give and give.

He who lives and never gives,

May live for years and never live.

But he who lives and lives to give

Shall live for years with more to give.

We closed with this prayer: God, our Father, we thank you for this glorious day and for this great occasion that we celebrate. We rejoice in celebrating your grace and your kindness and your hand of blessing upon the lives of Shajuan and Angela. We praise that You have brought them together in such a remarkable way, and we praise You that You will continue to order their steps and direct their paths so that they might be a blessing, as their lives bring glory, honor, and praise to Your name. In the name above all names, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Happy 9^th Anniversary, AJ and Shajuan.

Romans 8:28: More than the Verse of the Day

This morning, December 2, 2023, I was reading the selected passage for reading the Bible through in one year, and I found myself going over one of my favorite verses from one of my favorite books of the New Testament: Romans 8:28 (New Living Testament):

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28 has become especially meaningful for me over the years, and I have designated this scripture as my “Life Verse.” According to the Middletown Christian Church, “Life Verses are those words from Scripture that anchor our faith and become touchstones that illuminate, assure, uplift and energize us to live out our faith.” Here are two additional translations of my favorite verse:

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [KJV]

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. [Amplified Bible]

As I read the passage from Romans 8, I recalled an original psalm inspired by reading and reflecting this chapter:

Tabernacle in Me

Romans 8

Tension is high, stretched to the point of distress,

And I am pressed on every hand, above measure.

I would move forward but seem only to regress.

I find that in my infirmity is my pleasure.

At the end of myself, in this desolate space,

Where I stand stripped, naked with nothing to hide,

At this point of deepest need, find a resting place,

For in such harsh, parched desert places you abide.

Stretch out as a tent and tabernacle in me.

As you designed your dwelling place with much detail,

How much more glorious are your plans, for now I see,

Not death nor life itself, but God’s love shall  prevail.

This process of persuasion is now understood,

As I learn all things work together for the good.

Romans 8:28, my favorite verse in the Bible, offers this reminder that because God is good, “We know that all things work together for the good, to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose.” So no matter how bad any situation may appear to be, we know that it will work together for the good.

This often-quoted verse is the inspiration for one of Don Moen’s classic praise songs: “All things Work Together”:

Thanksgiving: the reason for all seasons

Although the official celebration of Thanksgiving Day, occurring on the 4^th Thursday in November, has passed, the Verse of the Day for November 25, 2023, offers this reminder found in Colossians 3:17 in the New Living Translation:

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

God desires that we show ourselves grateful at all times.  The Word of God reminds us of this truth in a number of places, including  Ephesians 5:20:

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word of God reveals that the giving of thanks is to be more than an occasional act of gratitude; it is to be an ongoing part of our lives.

Philippians 4:6-7, another celebrated thanksgiving passage, is rendered this way in the New Living Translation (NLT):

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

 Hebrews 13:15(KJV) offers yet another reminder:

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

The most dramatic reminder to live in continuous thanksgiving is found in I Thessalonians 5:18:

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ.

In any situation, one of the critical factors contributing to our success or failure is “attitude.” Of course, the discussion of attitude comes full circle with this reminder that “attitude begins with gratitude.” J. Rufus Moseley speaks of “an attitude of gratitude and boundless goodwill.” For believers, thanksgiving is a magnificent and joyful “response-ability”; that is, our ability to respond to God’s love and grace.  We endeavor to demonstrate our gratitude to God from the fullness of our hearts, overflowing with thanks.  More than merely occasionally expressing how grateful we are, we desire to maintain a continual “attitude of gratitude,” which some have called “thanksliving.” 

More than merely saying “thank you” to God, more than simply tithing or sharing of our abundance or giving of our time or material goods, thanksliving is a way of life, expressing gratitude to God in everything we say and do.  This time of the year, as we approach the final holiday season of the year, our lives should especially abound with thanksgiving to God for “His unspeakable gift.”  Without question, “thanksgiving” is the reason for every season.

We show with all our being, “Thank God it’s Sunday through Saturday.”  We join with the psalmist in declaring, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. (Psalm 92:1,2)  Each day is a celebration of the grace of God through Jesus Christ, in whom we live and move and have our being.  The essence of our attitude of endless gratitude is expressed in this original psalm:

Thanksliving

What shall we render to the Lord for all

His grace?  What can we say to offer praise

Worthy of His glory?  How can we call

With all our being upon His name and raise

A new song from the depths of our heart?

We must do more than mouth a platitude–

To express our soul in words is an art;

Yet words cannot express our gratitude.

Our words seem empty and without merit.

“Thank you” too soon becomes a hollow phrase.

So we must worship God with our spirit

And must give thanks well for all of our days.

To live is to give thanks with tongue and limb;

With each breath, each move, let us live thanks to Him. 

We conclude with this music video by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, a reminder “In Everything Give Him Thanks:”