BEAUTIFUL!!!

Isn't it kind of the Lord to give us such BEAUTIFUL fall days?!?!? It is so wonderful. It helps me to look at God's creation and be more grateful for all that he has made. You know, most days I can honestly say that I don't think about creation much.....I guess I'm mostly just taking it for granted. I don't want to do that anymore. God is loving and kind, and He made the created world for His glory and He made it as provision to each of us. I mean, just think about it...if we didn't have the natural resources that the Lord was kind enough to create, we would not have the wonderful conveniences that we have now. When you think of how things are made and what they are made from, without the natural resources, it would be very different. And God created everything else BEFORE He created us. So we begin to also see that God has created order. Certain things have to come first before other things can happen. I have been doing a study on gratefulness, and it has drawn my attention to how little I stop and think and thank the Lord for just everything in my life. In Luke 19, Jesus is entering the city (Palm Sunday story) and the disciples are praising and honoring him......

37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Jesus tells us that even the stones are ready to cry out if no one else is praising him and giving him the glory. I think there may have been lots of stones around me at numerous times praising God because I wasn't! That's sad!!!

In Revelation 5, John speaks of every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea praising God (won't that be an amazing site?).....

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"

14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

So I want to have an undercurrent running through my mind, my heart and my soul.....an undercurrent of gratitude and thankfulness and praise.....I want it to be in my actions and in my words......I want to be louder than the stones crying out! Praise be to God! Thank you for the things you have done!