Give thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever,
•Who remembered us in our abjection, for His mercy endures forever. Alleluia! 
~(Ps 136:1)•(Ps 136:23)

Sunday Hymn

We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
 
Refrain
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.

He only is the Maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.
Refrain

We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
Refrain

~Words: Matthias Claudius, Paul Erdmann’s Fest, 1782
~Music: Wir Pflügen, Johann A. P. Schulz, 1800

My prayer

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.
~Philippians 1:9-11

Thanks giving

For the 5th year in a row, Rebecca of Rebecca Writes is declaring November to be a month of thanksgiving!

Every one of us has an abundance of good gifts from God, and Rebecca is inviting us to join her in giving thanks to Him for His many blessings.

Each day during the month, she’ll post something for which she’s thankful and we can participate in any one of several ways by either:
• Mentioning something we’re thankful for in the comments at Rebecca Writes. She’ll include the comment in one of her thanksgiving posts.
• Emailing her with what we’re thankful for and she’ll include it in a post.
or
• Posting our thankful thought(s) on our own blog and sending her the link(s), which she’ll then link to our post(s). If you plan to post something daily during the month, let her know that, too. That way you won’t need to send daily links.

Sheer mercy and grace

God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. ~ Psalm 103:8-12

Sunday Hymn

Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows.

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish,
Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish
Our God lives unchanging on,
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Praise the High Eternal One!

Angels, help us to adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace.
Words: Henry F. Lyte, 1834. Music: John Goss, 1869