Psalm 150:4-6 ‘Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.’

DAILY READING Acts 8:26-40; Joshua 1-2; Job 21

On October 14, 1912, just after eight o’clock in the evening, former American President, Theodore Roosevelt, stepped out of a hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, into an open car waiting to take him to an auditorium where he would deliver a campaign speech. Roosevelt had prepared a 50-page diatribe that he aimed to deliver to a waiting audience. Roosevelt was wearing his Army overcoat, and before heading out, he decided on a whim to fold up the 50-page speech and place it in his breast-pocket where he had also tucked the casing of his metal spectacles. It was a small decision that soon saved his life. While he was standing addressing the crowd, an assailant shot Roosevelt in the chest, but the bullet was greatly slowed by the massive hunk of paper in his pocket along with the casing of his glasses. The bullet didn’t cause him any major damage as he still got up on the stage that evening and delivered his rousing speech.
Though the decision to put the thick papers of the speech in his breast-pocket had seemed a random one, somehow it had been divinely arranged to save his life from an assassin’s bullet.
Like Roosevelt, in the course of this year there have been such seemingly inconsequential decisions that we might have taken without knowing they could have saved our lives or the lives of our family members. It could be taking another route that made us miss an accident, or changing our travel schedule.. It could be a decision not to eat a certain food, or not to go to a certain place, or not to be involved in a certain business, or relationship etc.
Somehow in those small decisions, God has been present, constantly steering us and our family away from danger and enabling us to walk in His will. These, amongst many, are reasons why we should look back and bless God for this year as it comes to an end today. Indeed, if we can think, we can thank.
We cannot possibly know all the details of God’s goodness, but for every of His blessings, known or unknown, great or small, we lift our voice today to say ‘thank You Lord’!

God deserves our every praise. For a man can receive nothing except it be given him from above, and by strength shall no man prevail. And as we give God thanks for His blessings this year, we will see yet greater blessings in the coming year.
Though we may not know what the new year holds, we are thankful that we know the One who holds the year. This is why we should be anxious for nothing, but  rather continually offer God thanks in anticipation of the great and mighty things He will yet do.
Gratitude is a spiritual force that empowers us for higher altitudes. You can’t change to a higher level without it. Thanksgiving is the mystery behind a sudden change of story.  Genuine, heartfelt thanksgiving brings us in contact with Heaven’s wonders that births inexplicable miracles in our lives. Indeed thanksgiving paves the way for a miraculous new season . Every time we offer genuine thanks, fresh oil for fresh impact comes upon us. And with this fresh anointing, we are guaranteed to scale unusual heights and become all-round winners.
Truly God deserves every of our ptaise. And as we draw the curtain on this year, with every breath, with every strength, with every life, with everything in us, we lift our voice to genuinely say, ‘Thank You Jesus!’

PRAYER: Lord, I just want to genuinely thank You for bringing me to the end of this year. I’m truly grateful for all Your faithfulness and goodness in my life and in the life of my family. I return all the praise, worship, honor and adoration to You now and forever in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE
Everything that ultimately has a glorious ending usually has a humble beginning.
WORDBITE 222