Tag: thankful

November 27, 2025

November 27th, 2025

Thanksgiving Day – Special Reading (I’ll cover today’s normal reading Saturday)

Reading Psalm 136:1-9

Highlight Verse:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭136‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Happy Thanksgiving.

Instead of the usual devotion today, after you read today’s reading, please comment what you are thankful to God for today.

I’ll start:

Of all things, today I’m thankful for transportation.

Airplanes and automobiles are bringing my two older daughters and their husbands to visit today!

Two of their grandparents will be by today as well for a beautiful family time.

Tomorrow, my wife’s faithful Subaru will take us to Nebraska to see another grandparent and other relatives.

I’ll admit, I was prompted to give thanks for transportation because I spent much of yesterday afternoon and evening working on my not so faithful (very old) pickup truck.

Me yesterday

Even though that job was difficult and still isn’t all the way done, I was thankful for the experience (though you wouldn’t have known it from my grumbling as I battled stuck ball joints).

I learned from the difficulties and succeeded (halfway so far) despite the stuck parts.

Now I plan on enjoying the presence of family and some really good food.

I pray that you may find joy in all that Thanksgiving brings you – both in the holiday and the state of mind.

Remember to comment with what you are thankful for!
November 14, 2025

November 14th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 1-3

“From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Is this what God looks like?

Ezekiel’s visions are pretty incredible. He described living beings with, shall we say, very interesting details.

He goes on to describe God like He was on fire.

Was this a product of his imagination?
Is this what God looks like?
Does this description fit with other descriptions of God in the Bible?

In the New Testament, we have good descriptions of God in the form of Jesus.

While Ezekiel’s vision seems a little fantastical, I don’t doubt that He appeared to Ezekiel in that form.

This is what Ezekiel needed to see and how the exiles needed Him described.

Outside of Jesus, most Biblical descriptions of God say that His glory was too much to view.

Perhaps Ezekiel gets the welder’s mask view.

But the view of God in the New Testament is a God with us.

Jesus was both human and God, able to relate to his disciples, hang out with them, and lead them in a very personal way.

God may be radiant beyond comprehension, but He is also personal.

Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are able to be in His presence, with reverence and relationship.

Is your vision of God one of blazing radiance or personal familiarity?
What kind of vision of Him do you think God would want you to see today?

Today I am thankful that God wants to have a personal relationship with me and you.
November 12, 2025

November 12th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 21-22

Highlight Verses:

“He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This Psalm of David is inserted here near the end of his life.

David looked back over his life and saw all the times God stepped in and protected him.

As a warrior king, those times were numerous.

And for that, David gave thanks.

I wouldn’t say I’m near the end of my life but I’ve lived long enough to be thankful for the Lord’s protection and provision.

There was the time at age 14 when I foolishly rode my bike from San Mateo to San Francisco and back, passing through dangerous neighborhoods, a protest at City Hall, and exposure to traffic.

Or the time a semi truck came around a curve in my lane on a narrow two lane highway in the mountains of North Carolina. I firmly believe God guided my little car right into that tiny space next to the guard rail as the truck flew past.

Or when my van’s engine blew up late at night on the Pennsylvania Turnpike as I was moving here to Colorado. God provided everything I needed to complete the move.

These are a tiny sampling of the times when God stepped in and protected and provided for me. I’m sure there were many more I never knew about.

For all of them, I am eternally thankful.

When in your history has God protected or provided for you far beyond normal?
How can we all show our thanks for these instances?
November 9, 2025

November 9th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 137-139

Highlight Verse:

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today, I thank God for His amazing craftsmanship in creating not just this amazing universe but each incredibly complex inhabitant of it.

There are about 8 billion humans alive today and there have been about 117 billion since Adam and Eve.

God designed each one.

The possible number of gene combinations is about 4 to the 3 billionth power.

That’s 4 followed by 3 billion zeros!

One website I checked called it functionally infinite.

The God I trust designed each one of us.

Even identical twins have unique life stories laid out for them.

I’ve lived out over half of my earthly story but am still very excited to see what God has in store for me for the rest of it.

For that, I will gladly pause and give thanks today.

How has God surprised you with the gift of your life story?
What are you thankful for today?
November 1, 2025

November 1st, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Psalm 136

Highlight Verse:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭136‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Welcome to November!

As the month that we in the US celebrate Thanksgiving, many say it is a good time to give thanks for something every day of November.

I encourage you to post something to be thankful for each day on social media to encourage other to express their gratitude to God as well.

I’ll start it off:

I am grateful for my family. Aside from trick or treaters, it was a quiet evening at home. My wife is visiting her father for the weekend and our youngest was hanging out with friends. I saw our son a couple of times, but he tends to hang out in his room.

As a partial introvert, I don’t mind the quiet, but it also makes me appreciate having the family around.

I have been blessed with an amazing wife, four awesome children (now all officially adults) and so far, two sons-in-law.

The love that flows through this home is seen in the words and deeds of all those around me.

For that, I am very thankful to God.

What is the first thing you are thankful this month?
Please share so others may be encouraged to be thankful.
November 10, 2023

November 10th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 5

Highlight Verse:

“Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My middle school students reminded me last night that November is the perfect month to remember to give thanks every day.

Lamentations is kind of the opposite of that – until we get to the few verses like this scattered through the book.

While it is not exactly giving thanks, today’s verse points to the fact that God is able to restore His people. Joy can return. They have not gone beyond the point of no return.

God did restore His people to their land, in His timing.

His people did return to joyous praise and worship.

No matter how bad your situation, there is always room for giving thanks, even if it is just for the potential of joy existing.

Have you ever been in a situation where all you had to give thanks for was the fact that there was nowhere to go but up?
What are some of the things you can give thanks for today?

Tag: thankful

November 27, 2025

Of all things, today I’m thankful for transportation.

I learned from the difficulties and succeeded (halfway so far) despite the stuck parts.

I pray that you may find joy in all that Thanksgiving brings you – both in the holiday and the state of mind.

November 14, 2025

Is this what God looks like?

This is what Ezekiel needed to see and how the exiles needed Him described.

God may be radiant beyond comprehension, but He is also personal.

Today I am thankful that God wants to have a personal relationship with me and you.

November 12, 2025

And for that, David gave thanks.

For all of them, I am eternally thankful.

November 9, 2025

Today, I thank God for His amazing craftsmanship in creating not just this amazing universe but each incredibly complex inhabitant of it.

The God I trust designed each one of us.

For that, I will gladly pause and give thanks today.

November 1, 2025

As the month that we in the US celebrate Thanksgiving, many say it is a good time to give thanks for something every day of November.

For that, I am very thankful to God.

November 10, 2023

My middle school students reminded me last night that November is the perfect month to remember to give thanks every day.

No matter how bad your situation, there is always room for giving thanks, even if it is just for the potential of joy existing.