Thanksgiving X ~

 12-19 November:  During the last week, I was thankful for the dear grand-daughters who cared for me during daughter and S.I.L.'s week away (I have a care-giver who helps, but not ALL day EVERY day!); I was thankful to have been able to be part of the group who went to the river to say our final goodbyes to eldest D.D.; thankful for the assurance of these words from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 where we read: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (New International Version); thankful for the beautiful songs of praise found in the Bible's book of Psalms; thankful for the music of Trilogy - songs with words directly from the Scriptures; and thankful for this message from Zephaniah 3:17: "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Beautifully put in most versions of Scripture!).  I was thankful for the little assistive devices that amplify my hearing; thankful for the message about God's ability to hear in Isaiah 65:24;  thankful for the counsel found in the book of James, ch. 1:19-20, where it is written: " Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]; for the [resentful, deep-seated] anger of man[kind] does not produce the righteousness of God [that standard of behavior which He requires from us]." (Amplified Bible); thankful for a new day of life - the internal machinery up and running, my limbs moving as directed; thankful, too, for family and friends both near and far; thankful for this message from the Word: "How happy I am because of your promises— as happy as someone who finds rich treasure" (Psalm 119:162; Good News Translation); thankful for the precious gift of Jesus as Savior and rightful Lord of my life; thankful for my salvation in Him - full, and free; thankful for this faith-building affirmation from Scripture: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1; New King James Version); thankful for all my Father does to meet my needs - sometimes even before I recognize there IS a need - His promise is "before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24); I was thankful for His steadfast love for us, love that preserves us as we grow old;  thankful that He says in His word,"... When you are old, I will still be there, carrying you. When your limbs grow tired, your eyes are weak, And your hair a silvery gray, I will carry you as I always have. I will carry you and save you." (Isaiah 46:4; VOICE) . (How thankful I am to know this loving heavenly Father!); thankful for another Sabbath, looking for all the evidences of the Creator's love in the world around me; thankful for all the ways He is working through His Spirit in my life and in the lives of all those who love Him; and I was thankful to be one for whom the Savior prayed - His words are recorded in John 17:15-17 where we read: "I’m not asking that you take them out of the world but that you guard them from the Evil One. They are no more defined by the world than I am defined by the world. Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth." (Message).

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