Thanksgiving X ~

 26 February-4 March:  In the past week, I have been thankful that our Father God has given me - US! - the privilege of being adopted as His own (John 1:12); thankful to read the words from Jesus recorded in John 6:37 - "... Whoever comes to me I will certainly not turn away."; thankful for this message in 1 John 4:9 where it is written: "God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him." (New Living Translation); thankful for God's mercy and grace which flow like a river through my life; thankful to remember former Pastor Jim's "Joseph" message that focused on "waiting". Many (if not most) of us find waiting difficult, but God's Word tells us:"When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my [friends], don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them ....! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become [people] of mature character. . . ." James 1:2-4; J.B. Phillips Translation.... and so I pray God will teach me to "wait"!  I was thankful for the memories that are stored in my head- what a blessing comes from the practice of thanksgiving, for the happy memories are reinforced and those less happy fade; thankful to be able to remember so many of the hymns and songs I've learned over past years - making melody in my heart is always a good thing; thankful for the assurance in Paul's message to Timothy that can be found in 2 Timothy 1:7, where we read: "The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control" (Easy-to Read Version); thankful for the loving-kindness with which we are drawn ever closer to the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit; thankful for "Fly-lady" concepts so helpful to me; thankful to read these words from Psalm 73:25-26 where it says: "For all my wanting, I don’t have anyone but You in heaven. There is nothing on earth that I desire other than You. I admit how broken I am in body and spirit, but God is my strength, and He will be mine forever." (VOICE); thankful for the image of Jesus as "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29,36) - born of a woman, born to die that I might have the life He deserved; I was thankful for the Word of God, preserved through the centuries and still giving light to all who will accept it as their guide; thankful for the loving-kindness our Father spreads though this world by the ministries of His children - gentle words, forgiveness, cheerful thoughts expressed - all these and more are a reflection of His love for each one; thankful for the blessings of the Sabbath - the weekly reminder of our loving Creator and His desire to spend time with His people; thankful for the promises we can find in God's Word and thankful to to know that what He promises, He will do; and I was thankful to read these words from Joshua 1:9 which tell us: "Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. I AM the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go" (New International Revised Version).