Thankful for Treasure

Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Psalms 119:11 (NASB) As I think of all the things I am thankful for today - those things I consider my treasures - this verse greatly stands out to me as a combined reference point and bit of conviction. Where does the Word of God stand in my list of thankfulness? My heart overflows with thankfulness to my God for the incredible treasure that is His Word. I long to truly treasure it in my heart, that I may never lose it no matter what my circumstances may be. Thank you, Father, for Your Word! Thank You for its life. Thank You for its guidance. Thank You for its power. Thank You for the freedom I have to read it as much - or as little - as I choose. I pray for those who do not have that freedom. May Your Word still reach their hearts in beautiful and miraculous ways. Thank You for the small ways You have allowed us to be a part of that miracle. Thank You!

Thankfulness with an Upright Heart

I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. Psalm 119:7 (NASB) I'm back! It has been so long. The Lord has given me so many awesome challenges over the past month of craziness, and I have missed sharing them. Hopefully I'll get to go back and do so. I will confess, though, that the entire month hasn't been so smooth. This last week, in fact, has been a struggle for me spiritually. I have struggled in my Bible reading and prayer time. I have missed a couple of days of even trying. This morning I felt truly desperate as I sought His renewal once again. And then I opened the Bible to a portion of my Sunday school lesson for this week - Psalm 119:1-8. Oh, how it melted my heart! How it reopened the stream of communication between my precious Savior and me. With this being Thanksgiving week, verse seven was especially appropriate. Yesterday I was able to list so many things I was thankful for, but I don't know that I truly was able to have a heart of thankfulness. This morning, though, it seems thankfulness is just blossoming within me! It doesn't take much for my focus to drift and my heart to struggle with intimacy with my Savior. But, when I surrender to His Word and acknowledge His righteous judgments, He fills me with His thankfulness. What a beautiful treasure!