Thanksgiving X ~

5-11 March:  In the last week, I was thankful for my children (and the fine others they have added!) who are still on speaking terms with their "not so perfect" mother; I was thankful for the days our Father has added to my life, far exceeding the "three score and ten" spoken of in the Bible; thankful that these words, spoken so long ago by Moses, are still wise counsel for parents today: "Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; VOICE); thankful for the mercy of God - those times when we DON'T get what we deserve; thankful, too, for God's abundant grace - for the many times He provides all the blessings we have no right to expect; and SO thankful for this message from 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 where it is written: "... We are begging on behalf of Christ: “Be reconciled to God! He made the One not having known sin to be sin for us, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”... (Disciples' Literal New Testament); thankful that our Savior is persistent in His knocking on the door of MY heart; thankful that His Word declares that "... He is not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9);  thankful for this prayer from the Psalms (and from MY heart!) "Explore me, O God, and know the real me. Dig deeply and discover who I am. Put me to the test and watch how I handle the strain. Examine me to see if there is an evil bone in me, and guide me down Your path forever." (Psalm 139:23-24; VOICE); thankful to be a child of God - one of the princesses and princes of the universe awaiting the return of the King; thankful to know this is NOT an exclusive position, but one open to all who come to accept Jesus as Lord; thankful for the call in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 where we are charged with becoming comforters: "Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (Amplified Bible); thankful for another day of life and the promise, ". . . as thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:25); I was thankful for all my fb (and other) friends and the blessings they bring to my life; thankful to find this passage in 2 Timothy 1:9 where it is written: "[God is] the One having saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according-to our works but according to His own purpose and grace— it having been given to us in Christ Jesus before eternal times." (Disciples' Literal New Testament); thankful for the heartfelt prayer nestled inside the miniature gift-box given to me by a D.D. a few Christmases ago - I don't open the box often, but I know that prayer works in my behalf; I was thankful to see big, fluffy flakes of snow falling outside my window (and thankful that it's only a few days 'til spring!); thankful for the "I will. . . ." promises that mean much to me - an example being this one from Ezekiel 11:19-20 where we read: "... I will plant a new heart and new spirit inside of you. I will take out your stubborn, stony heart and give you a willing, tender heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit inside of you and inspire you to live by My statutes and follow My laws." (VOICE); thankful to be enjoying another Sabbath, the Creator's choice for us to remember His work of bringing our planet into existence (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11); I was thankful to be able to join my church family on-line when I can't be there in person; and I was thankful for this truth from Deuteronomy 7:9 where we read: "Know, recognize, and understand therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and steadfast love and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations" (Amplified Bible).