Thanksgiving VII ~

31 May-6 June:  During the week past, I have been thankful to know that I am a princess - a daughter of the King (John 1:12); thankful to invite YOU to become - if you have not already chosen - to become one (or to become a prince) in His family as well; thankful to look forward to the day described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 where we read: "On that day, with a command that thunders into the world, with a voice of a chief heavenly messenger, and with a blast of God’s trumpet, the Lord Himself will descend from heaven; and all those who died in the Anointed One, our Liberating King, will rise from the dead first. Then we who are alive and [remain] will be snatched up together with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is how we, the resurrected and the living, will be with Him forever." (VOICE); thankful for our Father's steadfast love for ALL His children here on this planet - He's not willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9); thankful for the parable of the Prodigal Son (which is really more about a father's love than about the wayward son!); thankful for this invitation found in Revelation 22:16-17 where we read: “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let everyone who hears say, 'Come.' And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift." (NRSV); thankful for a few days in which the forecast weather is something other than rain, or showers; thankful for sound sleep in the night hours; thankful for this promise, found in Hebrews 9:28, where it is written: "... Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him." (NRSV); thankful for the huge store of "memory photos" I carry in my head;  thankful for the family and dear friends who are remembered in those much loved pictures; thankful for God's promise from Jeremiah 3:14 which uses a frequently applied Biblical metaphor, where God tells His people: ” ... 'Come back, wandering children!' God’s Decree. 'I, yes I, am your true husband. I’ll pick you out one by one— This one from the city, these two from the country— and bring you [home].'" (MSG); thankful there's no danger that the northward drift of our star will continue - our Creator has promised, "As long as the earth continues, there will always be a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always be cold and hot, summer and winter, day and night on earth” (Genesis 8:22; ERV); thankful to know there is a great Intelligence working in the design and operation of our planet; thankful for the message in His Word that tells us this Intelligence is LOVE (1John 4:8); thankful for another new day, a fresh slate; thankful for the promise of holiness imparted to all who will receive it; thankful for this passage that tells us that Jesus, "... having died for us in order that whether we are keeping-watch or sleeping, we may live together with Him. Therefore be encouraging one another and building-up one the other, just as you are also doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11; DLNT); thankful for the weekly return of our Lord's Sabbath, the day HE chose as a day of rest for His people in the beginning (Mark 2:27-28; Genesis 2:2-3); thankful for His persistent upward call; and I was thankful for this prayer for the people of God found in Ephesians 3:17-19 where it is written: "... I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (NIV).