Thanksgiving VIII ~

19-25 September: During the last week, I was thankful for dreams that show me unrecognized flaws in my "Christian" character; thankful there were no storms to absolutely ruin our Pathfinders' camp-o-ree in the church; thankful for this admonition from Ephesians 4:29-30 where it is written: "Don’t let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them. It’s time to stop bringing grief to God’s Holy Spirit; you have been sealed with the Spirit, marked as His own for the day of rescue." (VOICE); thankful for the blessings of health and strength that remain; thankful for the blessings of family and friends - near and far away; thankful for these words from James 1:12 where we read: "Great blessings belong to those who are tempted and remain faithful! After they have proved their faith, God will give them the reward of eternal life. God promised this to all people who love Him." (ERV); thankful to recognize my heavenly Father as "'The LORD, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. . .'", and that "mercy" does not blindly pardon, but is guided by the principle of justice (Exodus 34:6-7; cf. Hebrews 10:26-27); thankful to know there is a name for the occasional disturbance in my vision (and that it is not a pain problem!); thankful for this message from Joel 2:23: "Children of [God], celebrate! Be glad in your God. He’s giving you a teacher to train you how to live right— Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as He used to do" (MSG); thankful for the "great hope" of the imminent appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; thankful to have opportunities to share that hope with others through my computer; thankful as I read this message from Zechariah 13:9 that can explain His plan when things seem to be going badly for us: "Then I will test those survivors by giving them many troubles. The troubles will be like the fire a person uses to prove silver is pure. I will test them the way a person tests gold. Then they will call to me for help, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘You are my people.’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” (ERV); thankful for the daily blessings of mercy and abundant grace provided by our Father; I am thankful for His promise to forgive all wrongs I confess to Him, and to "... cleanse me from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9); thankful for this affirmation from Romans 5:1, 3-4 where these words are written: "Since we have been acquitted and made right through faith, we are able to experience true and lasting peace with God .... And that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness." (VOICE); thankful for rest in the night hours when sleep just won't come; thankful for the prolonged days of frost-free weather and ripening tomatoes on the vines; thankful for the prophecy from Revelation 14:14-15 where this is written: "... I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.'” (NASB). The day IS coming when all will have made a CHOICE for God, or to follow the deceiver - the harvest will be "ripe".  I was thankful to greet another Sabbath day, with plans for worship, study, and fellowship with my church family; thankful for the continued work of God's Holy Spirit in my life and the lives of all dear to me; and I am always thankful to have confidence in my beliefs - as was Micah when he penned these words: "... I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." (Micah 7:7-8; KJV).