A HANDFUL OF THORNS

Psalm 105: 1 – 6
Jeremy Taylor was a 17th-century English cleric who was severely persecuted for his faith. But though his house was plundered, his family left destitute, and his property confiscated, he continued to count the blessings he could not lose.
He wrote: “They have not taken away my merry countenance, my cheerful spirit, and a good conscience; they have still left me with the providence of God, and all His promises . . . my hopes of Heaven, and my charity to them, too, and still I sleep and digest, I eat and drink, I read and meditate. And he that hath so many causes of joy, and so great should never choose to sit down upon his little handful of thorns.”
When I was a young one, whenever I thought that everything was stacked against me, my mother would always say; “Count your blessings”. I'm sure that we have all heard that little piece of advice at one time or another in our lives.
We all have times of trouble and need, sometimes more than we think we can handle, but if we look to what God has done in our lives, our troubles can seem to melt away. We focus on the bad a lot more than the good, and that is a choice.
Our troubles are that handful of thorns that we can choose to live with, or we can choose to live with the good things that God has given us.
I'm tired this morning and I am beginning to ramble and not make too much sense, so I guess the best way to close this lesson is to revel in Gods word.

1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost;

Count your many blessings—name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. (Oatman)

Spend your time counting your blessings, not airing your complaints.