Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. The world also is firmly established, it shall not be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; And let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” 1 Chronicles 16: 23-31, NKJV.
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for all that You have done for us. We praise You for Your mercies endure to all generations! We praise You for what You have done, and will continue to do, in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Yesterday I promised that we would continue with the study of the previous day, “Beware, Sin Will Make You Mad!” However, since today is the second anniversary of our website, I decided to make a “Parenthesis of Praise,” and continue tomorrow, with part 2. I hope I did not disappoint anyone with the unannounced change. I apologize if I did.
On December 2, 2007, I stepped out by faith, to share my personal devotionals, via the website. I was very apprehensive about whether I could do this or not. This was a very big responsibility – too big for me, I thought. But I have always loved the Word of God, and have enjoyed sharing it with others. God assured me at that time that He would be with me as I undertook the task of sharing the thoughts that were laid upon my heart as I studied His Word. Leaning upon His promise, I finally felt peace! He has kept His Word, as He always will; and I have been greatly blessed!
It is hard to believe that two years have gone by since then. I have had my bouts with sickness. I have faced the challenge of being a full time student, and working. I have tried to juggle my duties as a wife, and keep my connection as a mother, with my four adult children. All of the glory goes to God! I would not have been able to do all of this on my own. I could never have faced the disappointments, and frustrations, and the stresses and challenges of life, had the Lord not been at my side!
But I have also been the recipient of great blessings! I thank Him for wonderful relatives and extended family members! One of God’s greatest blessings to me has been a very supportive, understanding, and loving family! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! The very, special blessing has been the gift of my beautiful, precious, extremely smart, little grandson, Michael Wayne! He has brought so much joy to our family, and to my life! I thank God for him, with all my heart! I love you Michael!
Then there has been my church families, and pastors, through whom I received wonderful opportunities to serve, and grow in the Lord. Thank God for the pastors who allowed me to serve alongside them. I also thank God for those very special friends! Some are from my native Republic of Panama, and others that have come into my life since I arrived in the United States of America. Thank you for being there for me my precious friends! I am also very grateful for all of the wonderfully kind and loving people who visit the website from day to day, and pray for me and for the website. May God continually bless you. Thank you for your faithfulness!
My alma mater, La Sierra University, has been a stellar blessing in my academic life. Thank you dear faculty and staff, for loving me and making me feel always accepted, and allowing me to grow! To the wonderful youth on campus, who kept my spirit young, and shared your energy and vitality with me. You helped me to “smile through my tears!” I will always remember you, and cherish the memory.
Above every other gift, I pause to give God thanks for calling me to His ministry. I thank Him for putting His Words in my heart and in my mouth. I thank Him for loving and accepting me, as unworthy as I am, and using me to tell others that there is a Savior who loves them! This is the passion of my life, of my preaching, of all my efforts; to tell others of the love of God that I have experienced in my own life! I love You dear God the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit! Thanks for another year sharing this love on the web!
Happy Anniversay to all of us, and, “To God be all the glory!”
NOTE: Some editing was done to today’s devotional of thanksgiving.