Thanksgiving VII ~

16-22 February:  This past week, I was thankful to be a child of the Most High with His promise of a bright tomorrow (John 1:12; ch. 3:16); thankful for the sunshine peeking through the clouds on a snowy morning; thankful for all the love found in John's first epistle, reminders to love - like this one: "The central truth—the one you have heard since the beginning of your faith—is that we must love one another." (1 John 3:11; VOICE);  thankful for the memory of being part of a double trio in singing "Count Your Blessings" at my previous home church and at Eden Valley Lifestyle Center - an attitude of gratitude helps smooth the way!  I was thankful for the truth of our God's faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23); thankful as I read this message from Romans 8:35 where it is written: "... Who can separate us? What can come between us and the love of God’s Anointed? Can troubles, hardships, persecution, hunger, poverty, danger, or even death? The answer is, absolutely nothing." (VOICE); thankful that our prayers to recover the services of my smart-phone (after it went through the washing machine) were answered yesterday - all praise to God!  I was thankful for the D.D. who has the IT smarts to get the phone ready for its rice bath; thankful for this message from Romans 8:38-39 from the Phillips translation: " I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth, neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow, neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God’s whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord!"; thankful for the sunlight flooding through my window as I wrote; thankful for the praise patterns in the book of Psalms; thankful for this message from 1 John 4:11-12 where it is written: "So, my loved ones, if God loved us so sacrificially, surely we should love one another. No one has ever seen God with human eyes; but if we love one another, God truly lives in us. Consequently God’s love has accomplished its mission among us." (VOICE); thankful to the One who is making me whole - in body, mind, and spirit; thankful to be re-connected with the one who will be working with me in studying the Bible beginning soon; thankful for this admonition from Proverbs 17:9 where it is written: "Those who forgive faults foster love, but those who repeatedly recall them ruin relationships." (VOICE); thankful that our internet service as been restored (after being down all of the previous evening); thankful to have found a little pamphlet on Sabbath observance I'd tucked away long ago; thankful that the New Testament supports the observance of God's law, for we read in Romans 13:9 these words: "The commands given to you in the Scriptures—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not take what is not yours, do not covet—and any other command you have heard are summarized in God’s instruction: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (VOICE); thankful for anticipation of the study, prayer, worship and praise that will be coming as we gather together for our appointment with the Creator; thankful to know of the soon coming Savior and King of all kings; and I was thankful for this message from 1 John 4:18 where we read: "Love will never invoke fear. Perfect love expels fear, particularly the fear of punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been completed through love." (VOICE).