What to do when your life needs rebuilding

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Learn to appreciate what God has given you

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise Give thanks to Him, bless His name. - Psalm 100:4

I remember when I was just about eight years old sitting down to dinner at my Grandmother's house. The table was set with her special Devon Cottage dinner plates with their distinctive blue floral pattern. As Grandma stood stirring pots on the stove, I remember being really hungry that day and couldn't wait to get a taste of her home cooking. While she was still at the stove, Grandma called out to me: "Carolyn, say the grace." Something we did before every meal in her house. Looking down at my empty plate and then,  back at my grandmother, I responded, "But Grandma, there's no food on the plate?" My youthful observation made Grandma laugh, but I learned a lesson that day that you don't always have to see God's blessings to be thankful for them. Even though no food was on the plate, I knew I would eat that day, and that in itself was reason to be thankful.

Nowadays, people take so much for granted. For a nation that has been so enormously blessed by God, America is moving toward a society that feels God no longer has a place in its national life. Whole towns and communities have gone so far as to outlaw public mention of God or any expression of Christian traditions and symbols. We're fast becoming an ungrateful nation.

And what about you? How thankful are you for what God has given you? Perhaps you're living in the lap of luxury with no need of anything. You can thank God for blessing you with wealth. Even if you're facing an empty plate right now, you can be thankful for having a plate— trusting God to supply the food. The scriptures tells us that the Lord "will never leave us or forsake us" (Hebrews 13:5). Years ago, I was an eight year old kid saying grace over an empty plate, and from that day to this, I have never gone hungry or had to wonder where my next meal was coming from.

God's faithfulness extends to every aspect of the believer's life because he cares that much for us. As a matter of fact, And not only that God's blessings extend to those who don't believe. Learn to appreciate what God has given you. You can depend on God to always keep His promises.

Help me, my life's a mess

"Decide what you need to live simply and get rid of the rest."

Life gets messy at times, especially when you clutter it with too many things — possessions, obligations, commitments, and even people. And if you're not careful, the clutter can spread to your thinking and emotions in the form of  bad thoughts, including past hurts, grievances, traumas, anger, hatred, negative emotions, disappointments, broken promises and unconfessed sin. Before too long, you'll find yourself buried under their weight. You look for help to move this mountain. But "Who will help me," you ask?

Naturally, your first thought might be to ask a friend or family member for help. But they have their own problems and can't or won't lift a finger to help you solve yours. With no hope in sight, you reach a low point, ready to give up. But wait, when you think there's no hope, there's help available. Psalm 121 was written by a man who knows what it's like to be depressed and alone. He wrote:

I will lift up my eyes to the hills

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121)

This man knew that the only one who could help him is God. The answer for a messed up, mixed up, cluttered life is Jesus Christ. Comparing the life of Jesus, the bible says that Jesus never had a place to call home; his only possessions were the clothes on his back. And yet, he considered himself to be rich.

His wealth came from his close relationship with his father. God, the father, God the son, it doesn't get any closer. But, what's even more amazing is that Jesus sacrificed his life for our sins so that we could know that same closeness with God. Jesus came to remove the clutter of sin from our lives, so that we would know the freedom that comes with having our sins forgiven. Not only did Jesus clean up broken lives and heal broken bodies, he changed people's hearts and made them better. Look at what the scriptures say:

Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:16-18)

And you know the best part, you don't have to clean up your own life, or get rid of the clutter yourself or anything of the sort. He'll do it for you, if you ask him. Let Jesus clean up the clutter in your life. He'll forgive your sins, and give your life new meaning. Look up, it's where your help comes from.

Jesus, I need your help. I know I messed things up and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I open my heart up to you. I want you to take control of the clutter in my life. I believe you are the son of God who died on the cross for my sins. Please save me now. Come into my heart and life to be my Lord and Savior. 

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