It all started with reading my devotional(*). One sentence was all it took for me to get focused. I am continually amazed at the timing of devotions. They truly make me realize our God sees everything which takes place in our lives. And this week is surely no different.

So I continued to read and jot down thoughts as they came to me:

• shaking happens more & more, “leaving you off balance much of the time”
• to regain your balance, we need to worship Him
• we need to be thankful, thankfulness is essential (I’ll come back to that)
• we will be tempted to grumble (I think I am being spied on!)
• His kingdom is unshakeable

We are part of His kingdom, each one of us. That being true, even when life attempts to throw us off balance, we CAN remain unshakeable. But I am realizing it is a choice we make and it happens only as we stay focused.

Thankfulness is essential. I told you I would come back to this. Essential –> absolutely necessary, a requirement, a prerequisite (as per dictionary.com. I am not smart enough to come up with these on my own). Reading those definitions caused me to ask these questions …

• Absolutely necessary to what?
• A requirement for what?
• A prerequisite leading to what?

See what I mean? We have to come back to this one or we will miss out on something. So exactly what does thankfulness lead us to? Why is it essential? And if we are going to miss out on something, are we willing to make the choice to be thankful? Can we be thankful even in and for the hard place we may find ourselves in at this very moment? These are hard questions.

Tempted to grumble. Seriously. I never thought about the fact that we are tempted to grumble. Boy, temptation takes on some very slick disguises. Grumbling is rooted in discontent. And basically, if we are going to be completely honest, it is rooted in being discontented with God and what He has permitted. We have to come back to the truth that He loves us and if He has permitted it, even this will turn out for our good and for His glory. Easy? Not at all. Necessary? Yes, it may also be essential, along with thankfulness.

And so, let me leave you with one verse from The Message ….

“Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed.” (Hebrews 12:28-29, MSG).

The word of the day … essential.

Don’t miss what is essential to our survival.

Essential not only to our survival but to our thriving.

Not only to our thriving but to our lives brimming with purpose.

* Jesus Lives by Sarah Young

Today I am joining … Thought Provoking Thurs. and Tell His Story and Quitting Thurs. and Thurs. Favorite Things and Thrive at Home and Thankful Thurs. .