Thanksgiving VII ~

1-7 March:  This week, I have been thankful for the loving-kindness with which we are drawn ever closer to the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit; thankful for "Fly-lady" concepts so helpful to me;  thankful to read these words from Psalm 73:25-26 where we read: "For all my wanting, I don’t have anyone but You in heaven. There is nothing on earth that I desire other than You. I admit how broken I am in body and spirit, but God is my strength, and He will be mine forever." (VOICE); thankful for our Father's assurance that I am precious to Him (Isaiah 43:4); thankful for the "forever" promise to all who believe in Jesus as Savior (John 3:16); thankful for this thought from Job 23:10 where it is written: "... He knows the course I have traveled. And I believe that were He to prove me, I would come out purer than gold from the fire." (VOICE); thankful for the many providences of our Father's leading in my life; thankful to live in this quiet community away from the bustle of the city; thankful for this thought from Isaiah 55:8-9 where it is written: "Eternal One: 'My intentions are not always yours, and I do not go about things as you do. My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you, just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.'" (VOICE); thankful for the persistent wooing of the Spirit in my life; thankful for the victory Jesus gained on Calvary - for ME (and all who believe on Him!); thankful for this message from Joshua 1:9 where it is written: "This is My command: be strong and courageous. Never be afraid or discouraged because I am your God, the Eternal One, and I will remain with you wherever you go." (VOICE); thankful for sleep and rest through the night and the defragmentation of my mental processes that goes with such sleep; thankful for an early waking and the study time it provides; thankful for these words Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 where we read: "Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning." (VOICE); thankful to be on my feet and up for another day - Sabbath prep underway as I wrote; thankful to be another day closer to the vernal equinox and (hopefully) winter's end; thankful to re-echo the words of Isaiah here: "Lord, you are my God. I will highly honor you; I will praise your name. You have done miraculous things. You have been completely reliable in carrying out your plans from long ago." (Isaiah 25:1; God's Word Translation); thankful for a new Sabbath, the day our Creator chose for a weekly appointment with His people through all our generations; thankful the eldest D.D.'s injuries are not life threatening and I was able to stay at home with her while they resolve; and I was thankful for this prayer from Psalm 139:23-24 where it is written: " Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." (NLT).