Thanksgiving VIII ~

8-14 August:  This past week, I have been thankful to know that all the promises in God's Word are mine; thankful to understand that I am included in that wonderful word "whosoever"; always thankful for these words from the lips of Jesus: ". . . God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son, so that every ONE who believes in Him shall not be lost, but should have eternal life." (John 3:16; PHILLIPS); thankful for the ideas I found that might help us to focus on the blessings in our lives (rather than the difficulties and disappointments); thankful for a few days of cooler weather in mid-summer; thankful as I think on this Bible passage: "Since you are so much more precious to God than a thousand flocks of sparrows, and since God knows you in every detail—down to the number of hairs on your head at this moment—you can be secure and unafraid of any person, and you have nothing to fear from God either." (Luke 12:6-7; VOICE); thankful for the prayer circles we can make among our families and friends to pray for each other - as well as following the counsel of Jesus to pray for those who don't have our best interests at heart; thankful for God's blessings that are poured out on us, fresh with each new day; thankful for these words from Psalm 46:1-2: "God is our refuge and strength, a help in distresses, very readily found. Therefore will we not fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the heart of the seas." (DARBY); thankful to wake early after a good sleep and know the refreshment sleep brings to body and spirit; thankful for fb connection with far-away family and friends; thankful to remember this passage from John 14:1-3 where it is written: "‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled,’ Jesus continued. ‘Trust God – and trust me, too! There is plenty of room to live in my Father’s house. If that wasn’t the case, I’d have told you, wouldn’t I? I’m going to get a place ready for you! And if I do go and get a place ready for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, so that you can be there, where I am.'" (NTE); thankful for all the "little" blessings our Father pours out on me, on us, day after day and which are SO easy to just take for granted; thankful for connections with family and friends via fb and on the phone; thankful to be reminded of this truth from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 where it is written: "... Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, the Spirit God gave you, so that you don’t belong to yourselves? You were quite an expensive purchase! So glorify God in your body." (NTE); thankful for this preparation day to ready up for the Sabbath; thankful to be re-growing strength in my shaky legs - not so wobbly any more; thankful for this affirmation from Ephesians 2:10 where we read: "... We are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art] created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]." (AMP); thankful for the several on-line sites that give access to Sabbath School and worship services when I am not feeling quite "up to par"; thankful for an understanding that heart emptiness does not equal the Father's absence; and I was thankful for this admonition from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 where it is written: "Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who comes from God and dwells inside of you? You do not own yourself. You have been purchased at a great price, so use your body to bring glory to God!" (AMP).