Thank You From A to Z

Always providing for my needs. I'm never truly hungry, unclothed, or without shelter.

Being my friend. He has promised in His Word that He will never leave me lonely or afraid .

Coming to this world to provide a perfect example of how I should live.

Drowning my sins deep in the sea of forgetfulness by His unfailing grace.

Eternal life. How wonderful it will be to forever praise Him in His presence.

Follow me — His simple request to make a simple sacrifice with incredible results.

Going to the cross. Jesus took the punishment for my sin and paid a debt I could never pay.

Hearing my prayers. He answers each request or cry of my heart in accordance with His perfect will.

Including me in His family. Because I have chosen to make Him Lord of my life, I am a child of royalty.

Justice. God is a completely holy and merciful judge. Righteousness will be rewarded. Sin will be punished.

Keeping His promises. I can trust God to do what He says He will do.

Love — the very reason He created me and why He made a way to have a personal relationship with Him.

Music. Jesus is truly the song in my heart.

New beginnings. He made me a completely new creation with a desire to please Him.

Omnipresence. God is everywhere, helping me through trials, guiding me through decisions, and rejoicing in celebrations.

Peace that passes all understanding. Only God can give us the calm joy of knowing we are resting in His strong hand.

Quiet. The still, small voice of God is often what moves us to do His will. We only hear it as we move past the noise of our busy lives.


Rest. When we are truly weary, God provides the refreshment we need to keep working in His kingdom. He even provided an entire day for that very purpose.

Sunshine. Its very presence seems to indicate how God feels toward us. He wants us to grow and experience the warmth of His love.

Trash. Litter reminds me to clean up my own heart and put the trash where it belongs, in the barrel of confession.

Unconditional love. Jesus loves me no matter what I do. His death on the cross proves that He loved me in spite of my sin.

Virgin birth. God's entering the world as a child is the miracle that established our heavenly adoption.

Wind. A gentle breeze serves as a quiet reminder of God's presence. The gales of a fierce storm remind me of His power.

X-ray vision. God sees our hearts. He knows our true intentions, whether good or bad.

Yesterday. God allows us to learn from our mistakes. The Bible is full of examples to remind us that God loves His children even though we are not perfect.

Zebras. OK, "Z" was a little hard. Zebras and other interesting elements of God's creation show me that God must have enjoyed creating our world. He intends for our lives to be filled with joy and laughter. He has also given us the ability to be creative.

Bottom Line: From A to Z: God has blessed us with wonderful gifts that we often miss because we are caught up in our daily routines.

Source: Darla lives with her family in Jacksboro, Tenn., where she is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mother of two children ages 8 and 5. Her husband serves as youth minister at First Baptist Church, La Follette, Tenn.

A Definition of a Christian

      A Christian is born of God, engrafted into Christ, and an inhabitation for the Holy Spirit. His nature is renewed, his mind illumined, his spirit changed.

      He is not what he was, for grace hath made a difference; he is not what he desires to be, for grace is not yet perfected; he is not what he shall be, for grace shall be consummated in glory.

      The knowledge of Christ is his treasure; the mind of Christ his evidence; the love of Christ his song; conformity to Christ his life; to be with Christ his preeminent desire.

      By faith he rests on Christ, receives Christ, and looks to Christ. He heareth Christ’s words, treadeth in Christ’s steps, and seeketh Christ’s approbation.

      He speaks the language of the Savior’s kingdom, reveres the Savior’s statutes and laws, obeys his ordinances, wears his costume, and lives to his glory.

      The life of Christ within him is the principle of his being, and because Christ ever lives, he shall live also. In the Christian, Christ lives and speaks and acts.

      He is Christ’s representative on earth, his witness before men, and his follower before God. The Christian hearkens to Christ’s teachings, rests on Christ’s sacrifice, avails himself of Christ’s meditation, and cheerfully obeys Christ’s royal laws. He inquires what would Christ have me know, what do, and what enjoy.

      To know Christ, is Christianity intellectual; to obey Christ, Christianity practical; to enjoy Christ, Christianity perfected. As bread to the hungry, as water to the thirsty, as the rock in the sultry day, is Christ to the Christian.

      The Christian is in the world but not of it, among the world yet separate from it, passing through the world but without attachment to it.

      The Christian is a man and may err, an imperfect man and may sin, but a renewed man and shall have his fruits unto holiness and in the end everlasting life.

      The Christian is a warrior and must fight; but he is a conqueror and must prevail.

      The Christian sojourns on earth but dwells in heaven; a pilgrim in the desert but an enrolled denizen of the skies.

      The Christian is the impress of Christ, the reflection of the Father, and the temple of the Holy Ghost.

      Contrast him with the infidel in his faith, with the profligate in his life, with the merely moral in his heart, and with the Pharisee in his spirit. His pedigree, from Jehovah; his nature, from heaven; and his name, from Antioch. O Christian, great is thy dignity, refulgent thy glory, interminable thy blessed hope. All things art thine; thou art Christ’s and Christ is God’s.

 — Author Unknown