Thanksgiving VII ~

28 June-4 July:  During the past week, I have been thankful for the gift of a bouquet - precious pale pink peonies - from one in my church family; thankful for enough in my wardrobe to accommodate this weather - seems it changes more often than I do!   I was thankful for this truth from 2 Peter 3:9 where it is written: "The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance." (AMPC); thankful for a raincoat and a 'no fear" attitude; thankful for the freshened air provided by the rain; thankful for this promise from Jeremiah 29:11-13: " 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, ' says the Lord, 'thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.' " (NKJV); thankful to have been freed from a whining spirit, frustration with the things I am unable to control; thankful for a desire to see my life through my Father's eyes and for His Word to guide me; thankful as I look forward to the day ". . . the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one." (Zechariah 14:9; KJV); thankful for another new morning and its opportunity to begin again;
thankful for the ministry of Jesus in my behalf and for His promise of the Helper to guide my steps; thankful for this admonition from Romans 12:2-3 where it is written: " Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete. Because of the grace allotted to me, I can respectfully tell you not to think of yourselves as being more important than you are; devote your minds to sound judgment since God has assigned to each of us a measure of faith." (VOICE); thankful that - in spite of my imperfections - I still can be used by the Creator to bless someone else; thankful to know that when things begin to close in, I can follow Jesus' example - to slip away and find a quiet place to pray; thankful for the cautionary message of Jeremiah 17:9-10: “Nothing can hide its evil as well as the human mind. It can be very sick, and no one really understands it. But I am the Lord, and I can look into a person’s heart. I can test a person’s mind and decide what each one should have. I can give each person the right payment for what they do." (ERV); thankful for a heart filled with gratitude and praise for our Father's grace and love in my everyday life;  thankful to have some small perception of the beauty of His holiness, a holiness He's willing to share with all who desire that blessing; thankful for the truth shared in this counsel from Proverbs 14:34 where it is written: "Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." (AMP); thankful for our Creator's gift of the weekly Sabbath rest (Genesis 2:2-3); thankful that He added "Remember" to the Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20:8-11; and I was thankful for this blessing, found in Psalm 33:11-12 where we read: " The Eternal’s purposes will last to the end of time; the thoughts of His heart will awaken and stir all generations. The nation whose True God is the Eternal is truly blessed; fortunate are all whom He chooses to inherit His legacy." and (from John 15:16) "You did not choose Me. I chose you ...." (VOICE).