Thanksgiving III ~

13-19 November:   This week I have been thankful for the beautiful songs of praise found in the Bible's book of Psalms; for the music of Trilogy - songs with words directly from the Scriptures; and for these words from Zephaniah 3:17: "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing”; for the seventh-grade math book a D.D. gave me last year and, three months without my crossword puzzle books, I've nearly finished the exercises - only the final test to complete; I'm thankful for the phone call from a D.S. via a new service which gives international service for free, no toll charges or roaming fees; and thankful, too, for this thought from Zechariah 8:21: " The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going'" (ESV); thankful to realize that this earth is not my home, I'm just passing through - a "sojourner", bound for a better place; thankful to see the signs that tell us of the Savior's immanent return; and thankful for these welcoming words from John 1:12: ". . .To as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name" (AMP); thankful for the truth of an old song that is playing in my head this morning - you may know it as well as I do:
"Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong - we are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so!"
I am thankful for the bountiful store of hymn tunes and verses that are stored in my memory banks; and thankful, too, for this reminder from Psalm 119:18: "Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wonderful things from Your instruction" (HCSB); thankful for the furry friend that is keeping me company during the night-hours while his mistress is away for a few days; I'm thankful for family and friends - both near and far away; and thankful, too, for God's promise found in Zechariah13:9: "Then I will purify them and put them to the test, just as gold and silver are purified and tested. They will pray in my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'You are my people,' and they will reply, 'You, Lord, are our God!'” (CEV); I am thankful for all the little daily blessings in my life - the things that work smoothly as buttons are pressed or switches activated; I'm thankful for the big blessings of a roof over my head, the family that shares it with me, comestibles in the pantry and fridge, running water in the pipes - and SO much more; and I am thankful for the words of Jesus telling us HOW believers lives are to develop, as found in John 17:17: "Make them holy—consecrated —with the truth; Your Word is consecrating truth" (MSG); thankful to be celebrating a new Sabbath with the HopeTV channel - what a blessing from Hope Sabbath School program, and Dwight Nelson's "New Perceptions" messages; I am thankful for the certain hope of Jesus return - sometime soon; and I am thankful for the message from Psalm 1:1,2 which reads: "The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful. Instead of doing those things,
these persons love the Lord’s instruction. . . ." (CEB).