2-8 March: During the past week, I was thankful for the image of Jesus as "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29,36) - born of a woman, born to die that I might have the life He deserved; thankful for the Word of God, preserved through the centuries and still giving light to all who will accept it as their guide; thankful for the loving-kindness our Father spreads though this world through the ministries of His children - gentle words, forgiveness, cheerful thoughts expressed - all these and more are a reflection of His love for each one; I was thankful for another day of life; thankful for the aerial shot of a lower portion of Lake Powell that is decorating my computer - this beautiful lake was in my "backyard" during the years I spent at Monument Valley; thankful to worship our Creator God, of Whom it is written, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts' (Isaiah 55:8-9; English Standard Version); thankful for a God who loves me - warts and all - and loves me too much to leave me in that condition. thankful for the drawing power of that love which brings me closer to what He wants me to be; thankful for the promise found in Joshua 1:9 where it is written: "... Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (King James Version); thankful for plans to get at least some of the staples out of my scalp; thankful that there is no precipitation forecast while I am wheeled to the vehicle transporting me to the clinic; thankful that my phone is able to do this "Thanksgiving...."; thankful for the message of the Father's love for all His earth children revealed in His Word; thankful that our Creator was willing to leave the courts of heaven to show us how to live from infancy to adulthood, always doing what pleases the Father (John 8:29); thankful for these words from 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 where we read: ". . . We are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, since God is appealing through us. We are begging on behalf of Christ: 'Be reconciled to God!' He made the One not having known sin to be sin for us, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (Disciples Literal New Testament); thankful for all the ways in which I see the message of Philippians 4:19 - " My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus" proven true in my life; I was thankful for my dear children, and for each spouse, the grands and great-grands that are now part of the family; and so thankful for these words from Matthew 11:28-30: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (King James Version); thankful for another beautiful Sabbath morning - the day the Creator chose for celebration with His people (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11); thankful, always, for enough - clothes to cover me, space for living (and to share); food in cupboards and pantry - enough of so many things; and I was thankful as I considered the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 6: 31-33 where He said: "... Do not consume yourselves with questions: What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? Outsiders make themselves frantic over such questions; they don’t realize that your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too." (VOICE).
