Thanksgiving VI ~

31 March-6 April:  Last week, I was thankful for an early trip into the "big city" north of us to do a little shopping with D.D.; thankful, ALWAYS, for safe travel out and back; thankful as I remember these powerful words from Isaiah 53:5-6 as we move toward the observance of Resurrection Sunday: "... He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all." (AMPC); thankful that eldest D.D.'s visit to the E.R. last Sunday was for a problem that was resolving as she was on the way and showed no effects by the time she was seen shortly after her arrival; thankful for a bit of sunshine on a day forecast for rain - yeah, I know about April showers but I love the sunshine!  I was thankful for these words from Psalm 14:1-2 where we read: "Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God." (NLT); thankful for the prospect of warmer weather in the near future - the snow is almost gone here on the prairie; thankful to recall the acapella rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" shared by one of the little ones in our church family during Sabbath services, what a blessing to know that it is true for us who are older, as well; thankful for the warnings in God's Word, warnings like this one to Israel in millennia past but that apply to us today as well, like this one: "I spoke to you when you felt safe and secure, but you said, 'I won’t listen.' You have been that way since your youth; not listening to a word I say." (Jeremiah 22:21; CEB); thankful for the showers that bring moisture to the earth in April (and for the flowers that will surely follow!); thankful for the showers of blessing that fall on us day after day; thankful as I read these words from Deuteronomy 32:2-3 where they are written: "My message shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the light rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name [and presence] of the Lord. Concede and ascribe greatness to our God." AMPC);  thankful for payment information that affects our accounts with a local provider (and for the one who provided the data!);  thankful to see the lawn coming back to life after the winter snows have melted; thankful to maintain "... the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ]. In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace which He lavished on us...." (Ephesians 1:6-8; AMP); thankful for yet another night of deep and restful slumber, waking a half-hour before the smart-phone would have jingled its "wake-up!" message; thankful to have the first load of laundry running as I sit here at my desk sharing my Thanksgivings for the day; thankful to note this confession of believers from 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 where it is written: "You see, the controlling force in our lives is the love of the Anointed One. And our confession is this: One died for all; therefore, all have died. He died for us so that we will all live, not for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose from the dead." (VOICE); thankful for the wonderful anticipation of a new Sabbath day and the opportunities for study and prayer, praise, worship, and fellowship with my church family at services in Grangeville, ID; thankful to all who have said "Yes, I will!" to the requests made for assistance in the program going forward; and I was thankful for this admonition from 1 John 3:16 where we read: " By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers." (AMP).