Thanksgiving X ~

 29 October-4 November:  In the past week, I was thankful for the grace our Lord provides "new, every morning" (Lamentations 3:23); thankful for Jesus - my Creator, Savior, and soon-coming King; thankful for this admonition from Romans 12:1 where it is written: "... In light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship." (VOICE); thankful for the good news that comes to me via fb - the stories of unselfish actions to help and encourage others; thankful for those who take time to encourage me, showing me ways to be an encourager for others; thankful for this "good news" from Ephesians 2:8-9: " For by grace you are saved through faith. And this is not from you. It is the gift of God— not of works, in order that no one may boast" (Disciples Literal New Testament); thankful for the strong bones in my frame - bones which have only once suffered a small fracture in spite of numerous trips and falls; thankful for the help provided by family who get me back on my feet when the occasional fall occurs; thankful when I remember this passage in Psalm 37:23-24 where it reads: "The Lord guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please Him. If they fall, they will not stay down, because the Lord will help them up." (Good News Translation); thankful for all the Biblical assurances of our heavenly Father's steadfast love and compassion, His tender care for His children (see John 1:12 NKJV); thankful for the Bible Gateway site that puts many translations and paraphrases at my fingertips; thankful to join with the apostle, Paul, who shared this thought: " I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God’s call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him. I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him." (Ephesians 1:18-19; New Life Version); thankful for the love that surrounds me - at home, from family far and near, and from the "family" of friends that make my life so rich - thank you!   I was thankful for knowledge of God as a loving heavenly Father, one who cares for, who keeps working on me 'til His work is done; thankful for the message of John 3:16-17: "For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it" (The Living Bible); thankful for another day of life and the blessings that come with it; for this cozy spot where I am surrounded by the people and things that I love; for limbs that respond as they're called upon and a mostly coherent brain. [Adding this thought from Romans 13:1, where we read: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God." (Amplified Bible)]; so thankful to have enjoyed another Sabbath - the grand weekly celebration of the creation of our world that was given to the human race by the Creator (Genesis 2:2-3); I was thankful for the worship services that are streamed from my church (and many others); and always thankful to read this promise from Isaiah 58:12-14: "... You shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. If you turn away your foot from [traveling unduly on] the Sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor Him and it, not going your own way or seeking or finding your own pleasure or speaking with your own [idle] words, then will you delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you to ride on the high places of the earth ...." (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).