Thanksgiving III ~

11-17 September:  this week I've been thankful for the stories in the Bible that reveal our Father as one who is constantly caring for His creation, " those who live on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people" (Revelation 14:6; GW); thankful for cloudless September days and moderating temperatures - just glorious weather! and thankful to know that it is the Creator who gives strength, as the psalmist wrote: "I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1,2; ERV); thankful for the Holy Scriptures that give us the knowledge necessary for salvation - they are useful for showing us what is wrong in our lives, and teaching the right way to live; thankful for the ways lives change as the words of Jesus are accepted and practiced; and thankful for these words from Philippians 4:4,5: "Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!" (MSG); thankful for our evening times together in God's Word - it seems beautiful to join with the psalmist in worshiping "evening, and morning, and at noon" (Psalm 55:17); I'm thankful for the blessing of six thoughtful and loving grown-up children and their families; and for these words from the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:8,9: "Finally, all of you be of one mind, sympathetic, lovers of your fellow believers, compassionate, and modest in your opinion of yourselves. Don’t pay back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, give blessing in return. You were called to do this so that you might inherit a blessing" (CEB); I'm thankful for friends whose posts give opportunities to aid favorite charities; thankful for the One who gives us hearts that care about the needs of others less fortunate around the globe; and I'm thankful for the counsel in Philippians 2:1,2: "Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person" (CEV); thankful for another day that begins bright with sunlight - a delight for one who spent many years of her life in the southwest desert lands; I'm thankful for the ways God has has used to reveal His existence to our too-human understanding - even wrapping Himself in human flesh to live as our example and give His life to provide the avenue for salvation of all who believe and follow Him; and I'm thankful for this message from Hebrews 9:27, 28: "We die only once, and then we are judged. So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people. But when He comes again, it will not be to take away sin. He will come to save everyone who is waiting for Him" (CEV); for the dried pears in the 'fridgerator - a combination of the gift from a friend and D.D.'s dehydrator at work; I'm thankful, too, for the understanding of the merciful Father revealed in the life and ministry of Jesus - just and holy, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness - qualities and powers exhibited in the Son and the Holy Spirit are also revelations of the Father; and I'm thankful for the words of Jesus from John 14:9,10: ". . . I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? Don’t you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn’t said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things " (CEV), that affirm this truth;
thankful that whatever kept me from logging in on my computer this morning was only a temporary event - no problem now! I'm thankful to look forward to this happy day with my church family joining for services at our G'ville church; and for a pre-Sinai word on Sabbath observance from Exodus 16:14-24 (vss 22-24 here): "On Friday the people gathered twice as much food—two baskets for every person. So all the leaders of the people came and told this to Moses. Moses told them, 'This is what the Lord said would happen. It happened because tomorrow is the Sabbath, the special day of rest to honor the Lord. You can cook all the food you need to cook for today, but save the rest of this food for tomorrow morning.' So the people saved the rest of the food for the next day, as Moses had commanded, and none of the food spoiled or had worms in it" (ERV).