Thanksgiving III ~

25 September-1 October:  This week I have been thankful to have heard our pastor's missus as she delivered a thoughtful message on "Extraordinary Faith" around the story of Naaman from 2 Kings 5 yesterday; for our Father's abundant mercies toward all who put their trust in Him; and for the praise voiced in Psalm 86:5 - "For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our sins, sending them away, completely letting them go forever and ever]; and abundant in lovingkindness and overflowing in mercy to all those who call upon You" (AMP); thankful for the restoration one good night of sleep provides - I love waking up ready for a new day of blessings; I'm thankful to know of the Creator who cares for us, who has a beautiful plan for all those who trust Him; and thankful for this reminder, the promise from Isaiah 43:18,19: "“Do not remember former things, nor consider things of the past. Here I am, doing a new thing; Now it is springing up—do you not know about it? I will surely make a way in the desert, rivers in the wasteland" (TLV); thankful for the guidance of God's Word through my life - always available to correct me when I wander away, and to encourage me in His ways; I'm thankful for the strength He gives day-by-day to meet the challenges of life, to be joyful in His love, and to share that love with others; and I am thankful for this counsel from Matthew 6:32,33: “So don’t worry and don’t keep saying, ‘What shall we eat, what shall we drink or what shall we wear?! That is what pagans are always looking for; your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart on the kingdom and His goodness, and all these things will come to you as a matter of course" (PHILLIPS); for traveling mercies as loved ones go out and return without dents or other difficulties over many miles; I am so thankful for the understanding that you and I can be called daughters and sons of our Creator (John 1:12); and thankful for the desire God has given us to know more of Him, as the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:14: "People who do not have God’s Spirit do not accept the things that come from his Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot understand them, because they can only be understood with the Spirit’s help" (ERV); I am thankful for good news - we learned that a friend will undergo surgery for a non-cancerous condition rather than what we feared; thankful to have a choice as to which side to follow in "the Great Controversy" - the conflict for souls that is occurring in a very real but unseen realm; and thankful for this message from John 3:20,21: "For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him]” (AMP); I am thankful for all the beauty of this season - the russets, yellows, and reds of autumn bring joy to this heart; I'm thankful that our Father foresaw the sin problem and provided a perfect Savior who was ". . . made to be sin for us, [the One who] knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21; KJV); and I'm thankful for this counsel from the apostle Paul, found in Philippians 1:9,10: "And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin]" (AMP); and I'm thankful for another Sabbath day - God's celebration after His work of creation (Genesis 2:2,3); for another forecast of blue skies and sunshine after possible morning showers - perfect fall weather; and for these words, adapted from the Amplified Bible: “Because she set her love on Me, therefore I will save her; I will set her [securely] on high, because she knows My name [she confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon her, no, never]" (Psalm 91:14).