Thanksgiving VIII ~

 21-27 February:  During the past week, I have been thankful to remember that a little song from childhood - "Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so." - has a version for those of us who are older as well, see http://www.bobwilsonmusic.org/text/jeuslovesmeforseniors.htm; thankful for the ease with which I can access info on the World Wide Web; thankful for this promise from Isaiah 49:25 where it is written: "This is what the Lord says: 'Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.'" (NIV); thankful for continuing, abundant life in Jesus; thankful to be awake (and as alert as this elderly brain can operate!) as morning moves on; thankful for this assurance in 1 John 4:17-19 where it is written: "... As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. We love each other because He loved us first." (NLT); thankful for the sunlight, beautiful sunlight, that is streaming through my window some mornings; thankful for the kindness (another sort of "sunshine"!) of others that brightens my life day by day; thankful for these words from Psalm 94:18-19: "If I should say, 'My foot has slipped', Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul" (NASB); thankful that coming awake in the night hours can bring a blessing for me; thankful for the "finishing" described in Philippians 1:6; thankful for these promises found in Jeremiah 29:11-13 where we read: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Eternal, 'plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that. At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. You will look for Me intently, and you will find Me.'" (VOICE); thankful to see a fresh coat of snow outside, reminding me of the promise found in Isaiah 1:18; thankful for the old Webster's New World Dictionary residing in my book shelf and occasionally perused for meaning (I am a word nerd for sure!); thankful for this reminder from Romans 12:1-2 where we read: "... Here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.". (MSG); thankful for dear Dandee's company when his"boss" is away overnight - he's a precious companion! I was thankful for God's grace, His mercy that covers my errors, my mistakes; thankful to know this about love: "... God is love. Because of this, the love of God is a reality among us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we could find true life through Him. This is the embodiment of true love: not that we have loved God first, but that He loved us and sent His unique Son on a special mission to become an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1John 4:8-10; VOICE); thankful to wake to a new Sabbath morning - the day chosen by the Creator in the beginning and confirmed in the fourth commandment and by the Savior when He lived among us (Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:27-28); thankful to be able to access Sabbath programming on my computer and my phone via HopeTV and 3ABN, other sites as well; and I was thankful as to consider these words from Isaiah 56:2 where we read: "God’s favor rests on those who attend to justice, who devote themselves to doing what is right, who keep the Sabbath and don’t disregard or belittle it, who keep from doing what is wrong: destructive, deceitful, or violent." (VOICE).