Thanksgiving VII ~

26 January-1 February:  During this week I was thankful for the church family and others who came to honor the life of one who is now sleeping (John 11:12-14), waiting for the call of the Life-giver (verse 25); thankful for a small knowledge of simple remedies to use when illness looms - especially in winter; thankful as I read these words from James 4:10 - "Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]." (AMP);  thankful for the prayers of family and friends in my behalf; thankful for the Word of God that has been preserved through the centuries as a lamp for my way; thankful for the assurance from Ecclesiastes 3:11 where it is written: "He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet [we] "cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end." (AMP); thankful to wake with a prayer in my heart; thankful to realize that - in ALL circumstances - our Father is good!   I was thankful for this truth found in John 4:24 where we read: "The Father is spirit, and He is seeking followers whose worship is sourced in truth and deeply spiritual as well." (VOICE); thankful for the well-fitting pants I received as a gift from a D.D. - a nice dark print that goes especially well with a favorite yellow t-shirt and sweater;  thankful for the "small blessings" that come day-after-day; thankful for this message from the lips of our Savior: "...They had been talking among themselves about who was the greatest person. He sat down and called the twelve disciples to Him. He said, `The way to be first is to put yourself last and be a servant to the others.'" (Mark 9:34-35;WE); thankful to see the sun peeping over the the hill to the east of our house - sunshine ALWAYS makes me happy! I was thankful for all God's promises to heal and to restore; thankful for Paul's admonition in Ephesians 4:1-3 where this is written: "... Live a life that is worthy of the calling He has graciously extended to you. Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created, with peace binding you together." (VOICE); thankful for another day of life - may the beauty of Jesus be seen in me through all of it; thankful for the concepts of a Plant-based Whole Food regimen (and determination to make it happen in MY life!); thankful for this message from Psalm 86:5 where we read: "O Lord, You are good and ready to forgive; Your loyal love flows generously over all who cry out to You." (VOICE);thankful for the weekly celebration of the Creator's work on planet Earth; thankful for the anticipation of Sabbath blessings; and thankful for this counsel written by Moses so many centuries ago - yet still a clear message for us today: "... The Eternal is our True God—He alone. You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; VOICE).