Thanksgiving X ~

 8-14 January:  In the past week, I was thankful to know the sun was shining above the clouds overhead; thankful for the quality of forgiveness in our family; thankful for the way the Bible reveals the difference between the methods of our enemy and those of the Spirit - the enemy is called "the accuser" and works to deceive and discourage us into giving up on God while the Holy Spirit encourages us, corrects in a positive manner, as in Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears will hear sweet words behind you: 'Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go' whenever you must decide whether to turn to the right or the left." (VOICE).  My prayer is for each of us to listen for that voice.  I was thankful for the choice to opt for happiness - each day brings many opportunities to change the focus of our thoughts, choose the thoughts that make a happy heart; thankful that the Creator made us capable of self-repair when provided adequate nourishment and rest; thankful to know that the happiest people don’t necessarily have financial security, vibrant health & perfect relationships.  The happiest have complete trust, immovable faith, & unquestioning obedience in whatever God allows in their lives, whether good or bad. Even when they don’t understand why, they know that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28; King James Version); thankful for the daily blessing in recognizing our Father's faithfulness to His Word; thankful for the house we live in and its many comforts; thankful for this message from Isaiah 43:1-3: ". . . Don’t be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One. . . ." (The Living Bible); thankful for a new day and the strength that is given to meet its needs; thankful for the songs with which our Father fills my heart; thankful for this precious message from Isaiah 44:3: ". . . I will pour water on [one] who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring." (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition); thankful to anticipate a visit from a D.S. and his precious wife for the weekend; thankful for all the love and care that fills this house; thankful as I considered this promise from Isaiah 58:8 where it is written: "Then my favor will bathe you in sunlight until you are like the dawn bursting through a dark night. And then suddenly your healing will manifest. You will see your righteousness march out before you, and the glory of Yahweh will protect you from all harm!" (The Passion Translation); thankful for another Sabbath day and for all the blessing it brought to my heart; thankful for hopetv, 3ABN, and all the other media that provide programming over the airwaves; and I was thankful for this cautionary message from 1 John 4:20-21: "If anyone says, 'I love God', and hates a brother or sister, [that person] is a liar, because the person who doesn’t love a brother or sister who can be seen can’t love God, who can’t be seen. This commandment we have from Him: Those who claim to love God ought to love their brother and sister also" (Common English Bible).