Gratitude.

(Caves of Adullam, where King David cried out to God. Israel, 2009).

In the Bible, a person's name was given with great importance and signifigance.

It was thought by the Israelites that a name was divinely inspired by God, and that it worked to prophesy about the life of the one who bore it.

That is why, in many stories of the Bible, when God calls someone to a special mission, He gives them a new name.

A name of explanation.

A name of purpose.

...

I was thinking of this idea when something dawned on me...

The Bible states that the Jews are God's chosen people.

And God, in His great understanding and purpose, gave a very meaningful and important name to the ones He chose to call His own...

...

Yehuda.

(Modern word Jew comes from Biblical Judah, the 12th tribe of Israel. Hebrew form = Yehuda).

Do you know what Yehuda means?

...

PRAISE.

THANKS.

EXALT.

...

To live as God's chosen means having a grateful heart.

It's means being aware of the fact that we. are. blessed. no matter how messy or chaotic or lonely life can feel.

Because despite what this world throws at us, good or bad, nothing can change the fact that

we have been chosen.

God has extended His hand of grace

to us.

We bear the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He.

...

And when we let the world and its worries rob us of the truth and the power behind that fact...

when we allow people and circumstances to make us forget the ways that

God has lavishly

poured out

His grace...

that is the moment when we lose sight of our calling, step off the path that God has set before us, and cease to have a witness as His people.

We are here first, to praise.

And we praise the One who loves by loving well.

We thank the One who looks past weakness by meeting others in their own (and being honest about ours too).

We exalt the One who meets our needs by serving others.

...

Being grateful in the deep and

hidden recesses of our souls

shows a broken world that we trust

in the fact that

God keeps His promises,

that He will save us,

and that He offers a real and sufficient and powerful grace.

...

Because if we have God alone and nothing else,

there is

still room for praise.

He is sufficient.

He is all.

He is One.

He is more than enough.

...

He chooses us

as His people

and He gives us the chance

each and every day

to choose Him back.

...

That's something

we can always

PRAISE

EXALT

and be

GRATEFUL

for.