By Ann Farabee

My thoughts are different than yours — and your thoughts are different than mine.

Our thoughts can be all over the place, can’t they?

Psalm 139 tells us that God not only knows our thoughts, but He also has thoughts of us.

Stop reading for a second in order to comprehend that.

God is thinking of me! God is thinking of you, too!

Excuse me a for a second while I get a Kleenex and wipe away my tears.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that His thoughts of us are thoughts of peace and not of evil.

His thoughts of us are to give us hope and a future.

God thinks of us and gives us peace, hope and plans out our future.

Most amazing of all is that God thinks of us!

Not only does He think of us now, but He also thought of us before we existed on Earth.

God was looking ahead into the future and thinking of us as He carried the cross on his shoulders bearing the sin of the world.

Why, Lord? It is hard for me to understand Your great love for us.

For we are all so very unworthy of that great love. But yet, You love us with an amazing love.

It was an amazing love that took You to the cross to die for our sins. You were buried and rose again on the third day, allowing us to have a reservation in heaven.

You sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and guide us. May we not be oblivious to all that You have done not only for us, but for the world.

Lord, help us to encourage others, to build others up and to stir others up to love and good works.

Help us not to neglect meeting together with others who are of the faith. Reveal to us things that give us spiritual vision, ideas and discernment. Help us to prayerfully read and study Your Holy Word.

Lord, help us to know that the spirit of God is within us. When the spirit of God calls our name, help us respond as Samuel did, “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.”

Help us build a testimony on earth that we will leave behind for our family. Help us remember that we are not here just to live our lives and then disappear.

What are we leaving?

Our fruit, influence and legacy.

There is no place to stop.

Keep doing the good work — I mean, the God work!

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.