Thanksgiving VII ~

25 July-1 August:  In the past week, I have been thankful for the sunlight shining outdoors (and sunshine in my soul!); thankful for the message one of our members provided at church yesterday - for the children as well as for the adults re the importance of preparation for SPIRITUAL battles when our primary objective is a place in God's kingdom; thankful for this definition of faith from Hebrews 11:1 where it is written: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (KJV); thankful for Jesus, my Kinsman-Redeemer, my Substitute, my Advocate; thankful for my family - to the third and fourth generations; thankful for these words from Hebrews 12:1 where they are written: "What about us, then? We have such a great cloud of witnesses all around us! What we must do is this: we must put aside each heavy weight, and the sin which gets in the way so easily. We must run the race that lies in front of us, and we must run it patiently." (NTE); thankful to feel rested after an almost sleepless night - no worries, no cares, but little sleep either; thankful that nights like that are not a frequently occurring event; thankful for this admonition from Philippians 3:14 where it is written: "I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward." (AMPC); thankful to have discovered the cause of my wilting rutabagas - I pulled one yesterday and found its roots swarming with little maggots (life lessons here on the patio!); thankful that the pests can be dealt with (and SO thankful that Jesus is our Savior from all the sins we confess and forsake); thankful for the truth of Psalm 119:93 where this is written: "I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life." (NRSV); thankful that while a heatwave is in the weather forecast, "hot" here on the Camas Prairie is twenty to thirty degrees cooler than "hot" where I used to live; thankful that hell-fire is NOT an eternal punishING, but an eternal punishMENT there is a huge difference; thankful that our God has promised that He "... will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4; AMPC); thankful for sound sleep and the restoration it brings to mind and body; thankful, too, for all the ways our Creator allows self-healing when we get enough rest and proper nourishment; thankful to echo these words from Psalm 139:14 where we read: "I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; I carry this knowledge deep within my soul." (VOICE).