Thanksgiving VIII ~

 20-26 June:  During the past week, I have been thankful for every new day of life; thankful that my calendar shows that summer has begun (The weather forecast, tho', indicated that it is yet to come - with temps to be ten degrees higher!); thankful to consider this thought from Mark 7:35-36 where it is written: "... Any one of you who loses your life for My sake and for the sake of this good news will be liberated. Really, what profit is there for you to gain the whole world and lose yourself in the process?" (VOICE); thankful for the angel-tap that wakened me early enough to do what needed to be done on a Monday morning before D.D. is upstairs (a wakeful period around 0400 can cause a MUCH later wake up!);  thankful for the privilege of knowing about a Savior, who loves me; thankful as I read this from Psalm 91:1-2 where it is written: "You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, say this: 'God, You’re my refuge. I trust in You and I’m safe!'” (MSG); thankful to know I am a daughter of the King, who loves me and gave up His life that I - tho' undeserving - might live; thankful that although He experienced death, the tomb that held Him for three days is now empty, I serve a risen Savior who's coming again, soon; thankful for the assurance of these words from Psalm 121:7-8: "He keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. He keeps His eye upon you as you come and go and always guards you." (TLB); thankful as I considered this thought, seeing the world around me falling into chaos - "I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life as if there isn’t and die to find out there is!"; I was thankful to know God is in the little details of our lives and someday we will understand what is not seen clearly in the here and now; thankful as I read this wonderful promise from Isaiah 40:30-31 where it is written: "... Young people will get tired; strapping young men will stumble and fall. But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run—never winded, never weary. They will walk—never tired, never faint." (VOICE); thankful for the ability to see sunlight, to hear the birds outside my window, and for the activity of ALL the senses the Creator has given; thankful to know our God is one who understands my struggles and forgives when I fail Him; thankful for this admonition from 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 where it is written: "One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response .... The Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil." (MSG); thankful for a good night's sleep and the rest sleep provides for body and spirit; thankful for sunlight filtering through the window curtains and lighting up my room; thankful for this reminder from Jeremiah 23:23-24 where it is written: "This message is from the Lord. 'I am God, and I am always near. I am not far away. Someone might try to hide from me in some hiding place. But it is easy for me to see that person, says the Lord, because I am everywhere in heaven and earth.' This message is from the Lord." (ERV);

thankful for a new Sabbath and anticipation of the church family gathering for worship and praise, study and fellowship today; thankful for advance warning of "extreme" heat for this area (cf Revelation 16:8? but not YET that plague, I guess!) - and that I'm no longer in Las Vegas! I was thankful for the message of Revelation 20:9,14 where we read: "And they (those who refuse to follow Jesus) went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. ... This is the second death." (KJV).