Thanksgiving VII ~

 13-19 September:  During the past week, I have been thankful for the reminder that my belief in Jesus as Savior has made me a child of His Father (John 1:12);  thankful to the fellow-believer from another church in our district who shared a message with us on Sabbath; thankful for this admonition from 1 Peter 3: 8 where it is written: "Finally, all of you, be like-minded and show sympathy, love, compassion, and humility to and for each other—" (VOICE); thankful to have a "mulligan" day re poor choices I made; thankful for the message of 1 John 1:9 and pray for a thorough cleansing from ALL unrighteousness;  thankful for this counsel from Philippians 2:1-2 where it is written: "If you find any comfort from being in the Anointed, if His love brings you some encouragement, if you experience true companionship with the Spirit, if His tenderness and mercy fill your heart; then, brothers and sisters, here is one thing that would complete my joy—come together as one in mind and spirit and purpose, sharing in the same love." (VOICE); thankful for a renewed commitment to saying "Yes, LORD!" to ANYTHING He asks me to put aside so as not to erode my connection with Him; thankful for the reminders that He is the one who conquers my "giants"; thankful for this message from 1 John 4:16 where this is written: " We have experienced and we have entrusted our lives to the love of God in us. God is love. Anyone who lives faithfully in love also lives faithfully in God...." (VOICE); thankful that my i-net is available to me again - it was off for ten hours due to a fire up north of us; thankful to see rain in the forecast for the weekend weather - the air certainly could use washing!  I was thankful for this admonition from James 3:13 where it is written: "If you are wise, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about them, then you will be truly wise!" (TLB); thankful to know that the sun is still shining above the smokey gray layer covering this part of our world and for the Sun of Righteousness that sheds His light on all to encourage growth toward Him; thankful that His Word tells "the end of the story"- that all evil will soon come to an end; thankful to read the admonition from Ephesians 5:1 where the following entry is shared in the VOICE translation: We come to God as sinners; but He wants to transform our habits, attitudes, and practices into the ways of Jesus: to live, forgive, and love as He did."So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children." I was thankful for each new day of life and the measure of health remaining to me; thankful for these internet connections with friends old and new around the world; thankful for this good counsel from Philippians 2:3-4 where we read: "Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first." (VOICE); thankful for another Sabbath - the TRUE "Lord's Day, chosen by the Creator when He finished forming our earth and all in it (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:28); thankful for the forecast of rain today; and thankful for this admonition from Ephesians 4:28-29 where it is written: "... Never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them. The Holy Spirit of God has sealed you in Jesus Christ until you experience your full salvation. So never grieve the Spirit of God or take for granted His holy influence in your life." (TPT).