Devotional Time with God

I often wonder what is it mean to celebrate Thanksgiving day?  A day when family and friends get together for dinner, carve a turkey, and have some laughs. It’s fun and heart warming for everyone.

But I know who I should I thank for. It’s Jesus Christ, who died for me and gave me a second (third, fourth, etc.) chance in life.  I am thankful that God cares for me.  I’m thankful God provided for me.  I’m thankful I have a future in heaven.  I’m thankful I have the safety under His wings.

So for me, it’s not just for a day.  It’s EVERY DAY.  I’m thankful, daily.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

It’s quite a task to keep my body healthy and trim.  I have to watch my weight and fat, by balancing my food intake and keeping up enough exercise.  If there’s one thing that I like, it’s eating.  I’m blessed to have a “skinny gene”.  My father is thin.  My grandfather was tall and thin.  My metabolism is still working, I eat a lot and still manage to be relatively skinny.

However, I can’t be abusing this anymore.  I do feel an imbalance in emotions.  I sometimes feel sluggish after a big meal. My wife notices my belly is starting to swell.  I notice I get tired and sleepy playing catch with my daughter.

I am what I eat.

The bible  tells me, in Galatians 5:22-23, to have one the fruit of the spirit: Self-Control. I have to watch what I eat. I have to cut down on my indulgences.

In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20,

1. God expects me to manage my body.
2. I am God’s property.
3. My body will be resurrected when I die.
4. I am connected with the body of Christ.
5. The Holy Spirit lives in body.
6. Jesus bought my body on the cross.

My body is valuable. God tells me my body is a temple. Being good steward of what God has given me, I have to take care of my body.

One of my weakness in my finances in keeping good records.  I don’t budget.  I don’t forecast. I don’t write down where my money went.  The bible clearly states I have to keep a record:

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Proverbs 27:23-24

Right now I’ve been diligent on keeping out of debt, and consciously trying to curb spending.  But if I don’t know what I’ve been spending, I’ll tend to spend more because I have the impression that I need more.

The accounting of my spending is important.  I need to obey God to avoid financial disaster.