Thanksgiving VI ~

21-27 April:  This past week I have been thankful in knowing His tomb is empty! He is RISEN! Risen and preparing a place for His people; thankful to see images of a dear great-grandbaby with Dandee (who's behaving like a real gentleman!); thankful for the message found in John 10:28-29 where we read: "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand." (AMPC); thankful to be living in a place where freedom is available to all who respect its laws - no one tells me where I must live or work, or where (and when!) I am to worship; thankful to remember the words of Jesus, who said, " Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you...." Matthew 7:12; thankful for the Scripture's explanation of the situation in today's world from Romans 1:19-21 where it is written: "Since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened." (CSB); thankful for the negative results in a week-long monitoring of cardiac function - primarily looking for periods of a-fib after the second TIA in a week - and a negative in the MRI of vessels in my head and neck, God be praised! I was thankful for the delightfully increasing anticipation of an eightieth birthday party D.D. and others are planning for the event next month; thankful for this promise found in Isaiah 43:5-7 where it is written: "“So don’t be afraid: I’m with you. I’ll round up all your scattered children, pull them in from east and west. I’ll send orders north and south: ‘Send them back. Return My sons from distant lands, My daughters from faraway places. I want them back, every last one who bears My name, every man, woman, and child whom I created for My glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.’” (MSG); thankful for God's perfect peace, peace that passes all understanding, that He gives in difficult situations; thankful for this thought from Tim Hansel: "Happiness is a FEELING; joy is an ATTITUDE, a posture,a position, a place."; thankful to agree with these words from Isaiah 25:1 where they are written: "O Lord, You are my God. I will praise You. I will give thanks to Your name. For You have been faithful to do great things, plans that You made long ago." (NLV); thankful to see more sunlight and blue skies overhead; thankful to have a place on the patio to enjoy the warmer weather; thankful for this message from Colossians 1:27-28 where it is written: "He wanted them to know that His plan is very great and wonderful for [all]. And this plan is that Christ is in you! He is your hope for all the wonderful things that are to come. We tell about Him. We tell everyone to be careful to live in the right way. We teach everyone all [they need] to know. We do this so that we can bring everyone before God and [they] will be grown up in the things of Christ." (WE); thankful to be a child of the Most High God (John 1:12) - what privilege is mine! I was thankful for all the ways He has provided for my needs, through all my days; thankful to hold as truth these words from Hebrews 7:24-25, where they are written: "... He lives on forever. Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them." (AMPC);  thankful that our Father is with us through shadows and sunlight - He has said "I will NEVER leave you, NEVER forsake you!" (Hebrews 13:5b); thankful for another Sabbath in which to enjoy His presence in study and praise, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers; and I am thankful for this message from Hebrews 12:5-11 where it is written: "... Don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as His children? My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child He loves that He disciplines; the child He embraces, He also corrects.  God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God." (MSG).