Thankful, Day Eighty-Three

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

One thing I know for sure: God is good. He is infinitely good. He is immeasurably good. He is always good. Everything He does is good; everything He says is good. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and He knows how to give good gifts to His children. His love is good, His power is good, His mercy is good, His promises are good. And if you don't know that, or don't believe that, then taste and see that the Lord is good! Let down your guard, soften your heart, give Him a chance...and He will definitely prove to you that He is very good.

When He created the world, He declared it good. When He created mankind, He declared that it was very good...with only one thing missing, which He quickly remedied. Therefore the Bible says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." The disobedience of Adam and Eve was not good, but God continued to be good to them. Even as humanity spun out of control in sin, He remained good, for He cannot does not change. And He always stood with arms open wide for people to come to Him and experience His goodness.

And I'll never forget the words of this verse of an old familiar song, a verse that is not often included in hymnbooks but which has been resurrected by a current popular song writer: "The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures." It's one of John Newton's original verse to Amazing Grace.

I need His grace every morning, and I have it every morning because the Lord is always good, evening, noon, and every morning!

I'm thankful today for new friends, one of which I made yesterday. I look forward to future fellowship and getting better acquainted on the basis of our common love for Jesus Christ.

I'm thankful today for old friends, like the ones who called yesterday who said, "We're driving two hours one way (after driving 500 miles this way) just to see you." What a happy reunion that was, and time of remembrance and renewal.

I'm thankful today for best friends. I suppose it is rare enough to find one you can take into your life; I've been blessed with so many wonderful friends, some closer than others. And as years pass, relationships change. But I'm thankful for those few, and even that one very special friend who draws a little closer every day.

If a man's wealth is measured by his friends, I am a rich man indeed.