6-12 October: In the past week, I was thankful for the forecast of a few days of "October's bright blue weather" here in the Pacific North-west; thankful for the readers of these daily messages who have shared their appreciation for almost eleven years - I never dreamed that would happen; thankful for this beautiful assurance from Isaiah 26:4: "Trust in the Lord forever: for in the Lord God is strength forevermore" (Good News Version); thankful for the grace daily extended to me by our Father above; thankful for the greatest gift ever given - Jesus - to be our eternal Savior; thankful to read the words of the psalmist from Psalm 63:1 where he wrote: "O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is." (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition); thankful for the rapid response to the treatment for incapacitating knee pain prescribed at my "same-day" appointment Monday; thankful for being back to normal activities after staying in my chair with feet up all day yesterday;thankful for the example of Abraham's faith and how it applies to believers today (Romans 4:20-21; Genesis 15:6); thankful for assurances of my heavenly Father's love to be found as I read from His Word, the Holy Bible; thankful for the evidence of that love to be seen in all the beauty of the natural world around me; and so thankful for this love-letter to His people found in Jeremiah 31:3-4: ". . . I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. I have kept on loving you with a kindness that never fails. I will build you up again. . . ." (New International Revised Version); thankful for the quiet peace of these mornings alone with the Creator and His Word; thankful for the assurance of John 1:12; thankful for these words from Jude 24 (only one chapter) :"Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]—" (Amplified Bible); thankful to know and observe the day of rest chosen by our Creator when the world began (Genesis 2:2-3); thankful for anticipation - anticipation of MORE Sabbath blessings to come this day; and I was thankful to remember the jargon my father used (he used smelting as an occasional vocation) and the way that vocabulary clarifies this message: "When I turn My attention to you, I’ll refine your dross as in a furnace. I’ll remove all your alloy." (Isaiah 1:25; International Standard Version).
