Thanksgiving IX ~

30 October-12 November:  Thru' these days I have been thankful to have knowledge of our near-kinsman and Redeemer - Jesus, God's own dear Son; thankful for His promise to return and take all His people - both living AND those who have been sleeping in "death" - to the place He has prepared for us; thankful for this assurance from Ephesians 2:8-9 where it is written: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (New International Version); thankful for another day in which to be a blessing wherever I can;  thankful for the warm place provided for me in this cool autumn weather; thankful, too, for the the promise given by Jesus in John 14:1-3 where it is written: "Don’t get lost in despair; believe in God, and keep on believing in Me. My Father’s home is designed to accommodate all of you. If there were not room for everyone, I would have told you that. I am going to make arrangements for your arrival. I will be there to greet you personally and welcome you home, where we will be together." Bible references to a place being prepared for us in a city "built without hands" (in Hebrews 11:10-16; Revelation 21, 22:1-5) - no human hands involved in making this place, God is preparing it for His own!  I was thankful that D.D.'s second chemo seemed to have avoided the nausea she experienced with the first treatment; thankful for the well-mannered youngsters who came to visit last evening; thankful as I consider these words from the apostle, Paul, written to the group in Ephesus: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people." (Ephesians 1:18; New International Version); thankful that we have a new helper in the house for D.D. and me; thankful that our Pampered Feet nurse was here one day; thankful for the affirmation given to us in 1 Peter 2:9 where this is written: "... You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light." (New Living Translation); thankful for tasty, simple things to eat - fresh fruit, cereal without added sugar, and legumes I cooked to add to my salad for the mid-day meal; thankful, too, for the equipment that makes preparing food fast and easy; thankful to read this message from Romans 13:1 - a potent reminder to us in these days of turmoil in the political scene - "Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power" (The Living Bible); thankful to be home again after a long week-end in our local health care facility being treated for out-of-kilter chemistry - and very grateful to be sleeping in my own bed; thankful for the delightful anticipation of a visit from a D.S. and D.G.D. coming soon; thankful for this counsel from Joshua 24:15 where this is written: "... Maybe you don’t want to serve the Lord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve.... You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Easy-to-Read Version); thankful for "the blessed hope" I have, that our Savior is soon coming in the clouds to take His people to be forever together with our Father, in His kingdom; thankful that today's difficulties don't last long; thankful for this beautiful promise from Isaiah 1:17-19 where we read: " 'Learn to do good, to be fair, and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows. Come, let’s talk this over', says the Lord; 'no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool! If you will only let Me help you, if you will only obey, then I will make you rich!'" (The Living Bible); thankful for the many "I will . . . ." promises I find in God's Word, those that are His own words to the reader; thankful for the answered prayers (and many that were not answered in the way I wanted when first I asked!) through my life; thankful for the "drawing power" of our Father's love as stated in Jeremiah 31:3 - "The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." (New King James Version);thankful for the counsel I find in the Bible, counsel that has been depended on through centuries and is my reliance today; thankful for my heavenly Father's willingness to pick me up when I stumble and not allow me to be "utterly cast down" (Psalm 37:24); thankful for His faithfulness in working to restore His image in all who are willing to allow Him into their lives.  I am thankful to be celebrating another Sabbath, the day the Creator chose "in the beginning" to memorialize His work in shaping and filling the planet on which we live (Genesis 2:2-3); I'm thankful for the presence of the D.S. and D.G.D who are visiting here this weekend; and I was thankful for the love, the forgiveness provided offered us in this passage from Philippians 1:6 where it is written: "... I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you." (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).