Thanksgiving VII ~

29 March-4 April:  This past week, I have been thankful for the invitation to a family pancake breakfast - lots of fun for us; thankful for "enough", and more; thankful for the message of 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 where we read: "... We are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, 'Be reconciled to God.' He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (HCSB); thankful for all the work Laymen's Ministries put into producing "As In the Days of Noah", truly a message for this hour; thankful for a deeper commitment to whole foods after hearing of improvement in renal function for many; thankful for this promise from Hebrews 4:8-11 where it is written: "... This is still a live promise. It wasn’t canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn’t keep renewing the appointment for 'today.' The promise of 'arrival' and 'rest' is still there for God’s people. God Himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience." (MSG); thankful for warm shelter, for warm clothing; thankful for a desire - no, a need for order vs. chaos in my spot; thankful for my Savior, who " was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." (Isaiah 53:5-6; NASB); thankful for all those "exceeding great and precious promises" to be found in God's Word; thankful for the conviction the Father hears and answers prayers - not to give me all the things for which I ask, but, in His far-seeing wisdom, all that is for my long-term good and for His glory; thankful for this cautionary note from Psalm 14:1-2 where it is written: "That [person] is a fool who says ... 'There is no God!' Anyone who talks like that is warped and evil and cannot really be a good person at all. The Lord looks down from heaven on [us] to see if there are any who are wise, who want to please God." (TLB); thankful for more sunshine in the seven-day forecast; thankful for the thought of "flowers that bloom in May" after April showers;  thankful to re-echo the words of this beautiful psalm: "I will honor the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. Give great honor to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together." (Psalm 34:1-3; NLV); thankful for sunlight through my window; thankful for the Father's promise of a "wake up call" for all believers who are sleeping in Jesus (John 11:11-13; 24-26); thankful for this message from Hebrews 12:2 where it is written: "Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God." (NLV); thankful for God's Sabbath - His choice of a "rest day" for all who are weary and heavy laden with care - time to rest in His grace, His mercy; thankful for morning sunlight; and I was thankful for this assurance from Ephesians 1:6-7 where it is written: "... The same love He has for His Beloved One, Jesus, He has for us. And this unfolding plan brings Him great pleasure! Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by His blood—the total cancellation of our sins—all because of the cascading riches of His grace." (TPT).