Thanksgiving VII ~

5-12 April:  This week, I have been thankful for each new day of life and the promise of strength for that day; thankful that I can live confidently as a daughter of our heavenly Father, who is love;  thankful for the message of 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 where it is written: "We are ruled by Christ’s love for us. We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us." (CEB); thankful for the providences in life that give evidence of our Father's goodness; thankful to see compassion shown - even by those who are, themselves, hurting; thankful for the clarification of John's words on love that is found in the Message paraphrase where we read: "This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves." (1 John 3:16; MSG); thankful that our Father still hears and answers the prayers of our hearts when we call on Him for help; thankful for springtime on the Camas Prairie - the flowers are coming!  And, I was thankful for these words from Jeremiah 24:7 where we read: "... I will give them a heart that they might know me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." (JUB);  thankful to celebrate a D.D.'s completed circuit around the Earth-star - a VERY happy day!  I have been thankful for signs of spring along my walking route; thankful to share this message from Romans 5:9-10 where it is written: "... Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed His life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. Even when we were God’s enemies, He made peace with us, because His Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by His Son’s life." (CEV);  thankful for the sleep given to me after the previous night of wakefulness almost 'til dawn; thankful for the buds on the trees around me visibly expanding as they are warmed by the sun; thankful to know, and trust the One who cares about each of His children, and longs to see us all in His kingdom - "This is the One who—imprinted with God’s image, shimmering with His glory—sustains all that exists through the power of His word. He was seated at the right hand of God once He Himself had made the offering that purified us from all our sins." (Hebrews 1:3; VOICE); thankful to the helper who did a thorough cleaning of the ceiling high bookshelves over my desk; thankful that temps are warm enough to leave doors open for fresh air to blow through; thankful to see these words of encouragement from Romans 5:6-8 where we read: "When the time was right, the Anointed One died for all of us who were far from God, powerless, and weak. Now it is rare to find someone willing to die for an upright person, although it’s possible that someone may give up his life for one who is truly good. But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us." (VOICE); thankful for a new Sabbath day, a time to join with the Creator to rest and rejoice in His creation and the redemption He provides in Jesus; thankful to see the buds beginning to swell on the trees outside, and beautiful blossoms blooming here and there - it's SPRING!  I was thankful, too, for for this assurance from 1 Peter 2:24 where it is written: " He took on our sins in His body when He died on the cross so that we, being dead to sin, can live for righteousness. As the Scripture says, 'Through His wounds, you were healed.'” (VOICE).