Thanksgiving IV ~

19-25 February:  This week I have been thankful for the privilege of friendship - and the ability to add new ones among the established friends; for a full "to do" list to keep me occupied through the day; and for these words about that great and wonderful day when Jesus returns, from Isaiah 25:9: "And it shall be said in that day, 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation"'; for the negative results on the sleep study I experienced - and I slept fairly well, too! I was thankful to be able to locate a current edition of my favorite crossword puzzle book; and thankful for the cautionary note in Proverbs 17:9 which reads: "You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong" (CEV); for the "exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4) we have been given in God's Word, promises to encourage, to strengthen our hearts; thankful for the evidences of the Creator's great love found in all the beauty that remains in this old world; and thankful for this New Testament confirmation of God's eternal law found in Romans 13:9,10: "The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,' and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor [it never hurts anyone]. Therefore [unselfish] love is the fulfillment of the Law" (AMP); thankful to find my internet service provider back at work after taking the morning off; thankful for the fresh coating of new snow outside; and I am thankful when I read these words from 1John 4:17,18: "Love is made perfect in us in order that we may have courage on the Judgment Day; and we will have it because our life in this world is the same as Christ's. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment" (GNT); thankful for another day of life in this wonderful world our Creator has given; for enough of all I need - He provides every day using all the means at His disposal; and for this good counsel from Luke 12;29-31: "You must not set your heart on what you eat or drink, nor must you live in a state of anxiety. The whole heathen world is busy about getting food and drink, and your Father knows well enough that you need such things. No, set your heart on His kingdom, and your food and drink will come as a matter of course.” (Phillips); for a preparation day sans the usual old-lady aches and pains; thankful for the contact with friends the internet allows me to maintain; and I am thankful for this precious promise - an all-time favorite of mine: "'For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope'" (Jeremiah 29:11, AMP); thankful for a new Sabbath day and for all the on-line programming that lets me enjoy Sabbath School and worship services at home; I'm thankful for clear skies and sunshine; and thankful for this message from Jesus: ". . . ,‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others]'" (Matthew 22:37-39, AMP).