Thankfulness Things: The Word of God

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE WORD OF GOD

When I was an eighth grader at Albia Community Middle School, my home-economics teacher, Rowena Hardinger, required us to complete a sewing project as part of our education.  Feeling ambitious and capable, I guess, I choose to sew a melon-colored terrycloth romper.  The pattern I chose showed a cute young girl with perfect hair wearing a one-piece shorts outfit and smiling.  That could be me, I thought.  So, in a hurry to become that smiling, romper-wearing teen, I lay out my pattern pieces upon the fuzzy fabric and began to cut—hastily.  My friends were completing their bags and shirts and skirts so quickly that I, finally sitting at my sewing machine, sewed with great gusto and soon finished my assigned project.  The final part of the plan for our creations was to model them at our eighth grade graduation, which would be happening later that week.  I took my item home so that I could try it on (I find it strange I hadn’t tested it out during the sewing process) before my modeling debut and found, to my dismay, that I had made one of the romper’s legs shorter than the other.  In my haste, I had neglected to measure correctly and was left with an imperfect product.  This mistake required me to stand in an unnatural posture when modeling since I was horrified by my ineptitude. 

I tell you all of this to introduce you to my third Thankfulness Thing:  The Word of God.  I am grateful for the Word of God because it provides a measure for me, and if I align my thoughts, words and actions against it, I can bring God glory.  If I forget my measure, or use our world as my ruler, I will end up letting my heart or popular opinion determine what is right, instead of the perfect and unchanging Word of God.  The world measures itself against itself and comes up impatient, unkind, and unhappy because they don’t know that the Word is right and true.  Our emotions often measure themselves against what our hearts say and end up taking us in directions that will destroy, not heal.  When we slow down to measure our behavior against what God has said is true, our lives will bless others and be a sweet aroma to our Father.  And we will be able to model Christ with confidence instead of shame. 

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.    

2 Corinthians 10:12

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?  

Jeremiah 17:9

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.    Hebrews 4:12

How firm a foundation you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?