Thanksgiving V ~

4-10 March:  Last week I was thankful for a God who loves me - warts and all - and loves me too much to leave me in that condition. thankful for the drawing power of that love which brings me closer to what He wants me to be; thankful for the promise found in Joshua 1:9 where it is written: "... Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest"; thankful for friendship, and its ever expanding circle of caring; thankful for the blessings of sound sleep and the renewal it brings; thankful to read these words from Zechariah 1:3 where it is written: "Now, tell your people what the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: 'Return to Me, so I may turn back to you.'...." (VOICE); so thankful for the mercy of God - those times when we DON'T get what we deserve; thankful, too, for God's abundant grace - for the many times He provides all the blessings we have no right to expect; thankful for this message from 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 where it is written: "... We are begging on behalf of Christ: “Be reconciled to God! He made the One not having known sin to be sin for us, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”... (DLNT); thankful for the blessings that surround me day by day - the big blessings like shelter from the weather, the love of family and friends, as well as the little blessings like lengthening daylight hours, left-overs in the fridge for my dinner - so MANY blessings for me; thankful for the "exceeding great and precious promises" recorded for us in God's Word; thankful for this thought from Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way." (AMP); thankful for another day of life and the measure of health that remains; thankful for the sunlight flooding through my window; thankful, too, to read this message from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 where it is written: "Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (AMP); thankful for the great grace in which I live day by day; thankful for the mercy that surrounds me when I fall into error and sin (1 John 1:9); thankful for this message from 2 Timothy 1:7;9 where we read: "God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. God saved us and chose us to be His holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because He is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us." (CEV);  thankful the blessings that have been received through the Sabbath day - glorious sunshine, an interesting discussion of keeping Jesus in the center of all the Bible teaches about salvation in our Sabbath-school class, and the worship message, focused in Mark 9:17-29, provided some new thoughts about the way Jesus ministered to those in need; another blessing for me was the afternoon drive up to Weipp and back with my D.D. during which we saw a Bald Eagle, wild turkeys, a Golden Eagle, along with ravens and magpies - what a wonderful day! I was thankful, too, for this message from 1 Peter 3:15 where we are counseled: "... In your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully." (AMPC).