Thanksgiving VIII ~

6-12 June:  This week, I was thankful for the Biblical concept of chosenness - as in I Peter 2:9 - ". . . You are a chosen [generation]. . . [God’s] own special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (AMPC); thankful for this one in Ephesians 1:4 - " just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight" (AMP); and thankful for this "chosen" verse from John 15:16 where it is written: "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I Am], He may give it to you." (AMPC); thankful for sunlit curtains with leafy shadows dancing on them; thankful for reading about the sanctuary "shadows" that tell me of the Savior's work in heaven today; thankful for the message of Psalm 90:2 where it is written: "Before the mountains were brought forth or ever You had formed and given birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God." (AMPC); thankful that eldest D.D. was able to get care at the hospital 'round the corner after a few falls (no injuries, PTL!) and "funny feelings"; thankful to live in a community that provides a wide net of services for elderly and disabled folks; thankful as I consider this beautiful passage from Habakkuk 3:17-19 where it is written: "Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I’m singing joyful praise to God. I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I’m king of the mountain!" (MSG); thankful that my eldest D.D. is again at home and doing well;  thankful for the mixed blessings of wet and dry weather - rain and sunshine - sometimes even on the same day; thankful for this cautionary message from Matthew 7:13,14 where we read: “Enter through the narrow gate, because wide is the gate and broad is the road leading-away to destruction— and many are the ones entering through it. How narrow is the gate and constricted is the road leading away to life— and few are the ones finding it." (DLNT); thankful for the rain that fell through the night to give water to the thirsty earth; thankful to see the beauties of the natural world shared in photos from fb friends; thankful as I think on this counsel from Colossians 3:13 where it is written: "Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive]." (AMPC); thankful for the promise Jesus gave in Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it shall be given ...."; and, even more, thankful for this one from Luke 11:13: "If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” (AMP); thankful as I read of the faith of Abraham. "... In the presence of the God who creates out of nothing and holds the power to bring to life what is dead, Abraham believed and so became our [spiritual] father." (Romans 4:17, VOICE); thankful for the anticipation of time with my church family - a time of worship and praise, study in God's Word, and the warm fellowship we enjoy when we meet; thankful for sleep and rest in the night hours; and I was thankful to know the purpose of the Sabbath as explained in Ezekiel 20:12 where it is written: "Moreover, also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might understand and realize that I am the Lord Who sanctifies them [separates and sets them apart]." (AMPC).