Thanksgiving IV ~

5-11 February:  This week I have been thankful for the faithful messages in the Word of God - for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting us, and training us for a life that has God’s approval; I'm thankful for all the ways my Father provides for all my needs, as well as many of those things I merely "want" (thankful, too, to recognize the difference!); and I am thankful to read these words from Psalm 33:4,5: "For the word of the Lord is right; and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord" (AMP); thankful for the hymns and songs that hang in memories corridors - joyful music in my mind; I'm thankful to have seen a family of squirrels - two adults and a half-grown one - vying to be first to figure out how to access the hanging bird-feeder; and so thankful for the promise found in Isaiah 41:13 which reads: "I am holding you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God—and I say to you, 'Don’t be afraid; I am here to help you'" (TLB); thankful to open a journal I began years ago, then reformatted after my husband passed away and I looked for another "relationship" - I need to remember the words from Isaiah 54:5: "For your Maker is your Husband . . . ."; I'm thankful for the example Jesus set in doing ". . . always the things that please Him" (John 8:29); and I am thankful for the message of Jeremiah 31:3 where our God says ". . .'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." (NKJV); thankful to wake up in a warm and dry house - it is definitely still winter outside; thankful for my furry little bed-buddy that slept without any big disturbances through the night (not ALL nights have been as quiet as this time D.D.'s been gone!); and thankful for the admonition found in Matthew 5:43-45 where we read: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong" (ERV); thankful for rest and sleep adequate for a new day; thankful for another day of life - what a gift! - unearned but much appreciated; and I am thankful for the friends who are reading these jottings - "[I] thank God for you always. And that’s what [I] should do, because you give [me] good reason to be thankful: Your faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of you has for each other is also growing" (2 Thessalonians 1:3); so thankful for D.D.'s safe return from a business trip to Boise;  thankful for quick access to information via this electronic amanuensis (and for a love of interesting words!); and thankful for this beloved message from Proverbs 3:5,6, which reads: "Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. With every step you take, think about what He wants, and He will help you go the right way" (ERV); thankful for a clear, sun-filled Sabbath morning and plans for more blessing with our church family as Reid McCrary has the message for the hour - always a thoughtful word; I'm thankful for the  Sabbath School lessons focused on the Holy Spirit this quarter - new thoughts absorbed!; and thankful for the beautiful description of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it" (ERV).