Thanksgiving VII ~

19-25 January:  This week, I have been thankful for our heavenly Father's faithfulness - even when we are not being true to Him, He keeps His promises; thankful for all the ways I am blessed each day - the warmth of this shelter from winter weather, the abundant provision for nutritional needs, the awareness of the Creator God who loves each of us and wants us to be with Him forever; remembering the words of "wise men" who have said, "Don't do to others what you would not want them to do to you", I was thankful for the positive spin of Jesus' words in Matthew 7:12 where He said: “Treat other people exactly as you would like to be treated by them—this is the essence of all true religion" (PHILLIPS); thankful to have an opportunity to hear again "the rest of the story" from Linda Shelton's "Adventures In Forgiveness"; thankful that no matter how awful our sin, our Father is merciful and longs for us to repent so that our sins can be forgiven; thankful for the message in Psalm 51:7-10: "Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me" (NLT); thankful for each new day to trust my time here into my Father's hands; thankful for the abundant grace provided by the Father to a world in rebellion against His government; so thankful for this promise found in 1 John 1:8-9 where we read: "If we refuse to admit that we are sinners, then we live in a world of illusion and truth becomes a stranger to us. But if we freely admit that we have sinned, we find God utterly reliable and straightforward—he forgives our sins and makes us thoroughly clean from all that is evil." (PHILLIPS); thankful for healing, restoration of strength and health; thankful for the At-one-ment with heaven our Savior has provided; thankful for this promise from Matthew 7:7-8 where we read: "Just ask and it will be given to you; seek after it and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will be opened for you. All who ask receive. Those who seek, find what they seek. And [one] who knocks, will have the door opened." (VOICE); thankful for the "exceedingly great and precious promises" that are found in God's Word (2 Peter 1:4); thankful for the truth that I am really a child of my heavenly Father's family (John 1:12); and thankful for this precious promise found in Isaiah 46:4 where it is written: " And when you are old, I will still be there, carrying you. When your limbs grow tired, your eyes are weak, and your hair a silvery gray, I will carry you as I always have. I will carry you and save you." (VOICE); thankful for all the heavenly ministries working in my behalf (and for you, as well!); I was thankful for a conscious that is void of offense (1 John 1:9); thankful for this counsel from Galatians 6:1-2 where it is written: "Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ." (CEB); thankful for sweet Sabbath rest, provided for all by the Creator (Exodus 20:8-11); thankful for His peace - my choice instead of ....; and I was thankful for the message given in Philippians 4:8 where it is written: "Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy." (VOICE).