A Life of Gratitude

"Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” 1 Kings 18:36-39 (NLT) After three years of drought and famine (that Elijiah had warned King Ahab of), God instructed Elijiah to return to the king and tell him that rain would soon come. During his conversation with King Ahab, Elijiah challenged the king to a dual of sorts, between God and the gods that King Ahab and Jezebel had been encouraging the people to worship. Imagine being Elijah, stepping forward, setting yourself apart from crowds Ba'al worshippers and half-hearted God-followers, and calling upon God to send fire from heaven to burn up a sacrifice that was drenched in water. He had instructed the Ba'al worshippers and then observed them shout, dance, sing, cut themselve...

"The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) Have you ever considered all the things people plan for in life? We create budgets and lists to help us keep track of our ever-busy lives. We consult financial planners to help us plan and prepare for the future. We go to the doctor to help us stay healthy and proactively prevent illnesses. We put a lot of effort into planning events like weddings and birthday parties. Some people hire travel agents to plan every detail of their vacations. Many try numerous diets, pay for gym memberships, plan out all their meals, and even hire personal trainers and dieticians to get or stay thin. Parents plan and prepare countless activities for their children and some begin saving money for their child's college education before he or she is even born. We research, plan, and spend years being equipped for careers. We plan and strive to be successful...