Day 11 - Reading & Thankful Thursday - Praise

This Thursday's Thankful Thursday topic on Grace Alone... is praise. Iris makes the point that we are to praise God not for our circumstances but in our circumstances. The verse she references:

"I love you, O Lord, my strength.The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,and I am saved from my enemies.”~ Psalm 18:1-3

...reminds me that no matter how strong the storm gets, the Lord is my rock, my shelter, my refuge and if I remain in Him, I can weather anything. I can't do it on my own.

So ~ with that in mind, this week, I am thankful for...

1. A Lord who listens. Who knows. Who understands and who loves. He is bigger and stronger than anything I could possibly have to face and I am so incredibly thankful He is there.

2. A country where I can freely worship Him. I know it is starting to feel tougher and tougher to do but I know men and women in other countries who have been pulled from their homes, beaten and thrown in jail for 3 years. They spent their time in prison praising God and coming out of prison, they were praising God.

3. A home to welcome people into as a place to share the love of God and the gift and love of Jesus Christ. When my husband and I were looking to purchase our home, we prayed God would lead us to a home He would use. It is His, we are only stewards and we do with it what He wills. I am so incredibly grateful, though, He chose us for our home.

4. A voice to sing praises to Him. I sing - I sing a lot. I'm not very good at it but I sing anyway. I sing in my car, in my office, in my shower... I sing. All praises to Him.

5. That I am made in the likeness of God. I am created in His image. There is no greater flattery.

With that said, here is today's Christmas "sharing." Don't forget to check out the other Thankful Thursday posts! Blessings.

From On the Incarnation by Athanasius (293-373)

What, then, was God to do? What else could He possibly do, being God, but renew His Image in humankind, so that through it all might once more come to know Him? And how could this be done save by the coming of the very Image Himself, our Savior Jesus Christ? Human beings could not have done it, for they are only made after the Image; nor could angels have done it, for they are not the images of God. The Word of God came in His own Person, because it was He alone, the Image of the Father Who could recreate all humans made after the Image.

In order to effect this re-creation, however, He had first to do away with death and corruption. Therefore He assumed a human body, in order that in it death might once for all be destroyed and that all might be renewed according to the Image. The Image of the Father only was sufficient for this need.