Thanksfiving XI ~

 4-10 February:  During the past week, I have been thankful for each new day of life given by the Creator; thankful for the magnitude of photos to be found on the web to illustrate my thoughts; thankful for these praises from Psalm 18:1-2 that put words to MY praise: "I love you, Lord! You are my strength. The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by His power I am saved...." (Easy Reading Version); thankful for the faithful messages in the Word of God - for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting us, and training us for a life that has God’s approval; thankful for the many ways my Father provides for all my needs, as well as many of those things I merely "want" (thankful, too, to recognize the difference!); thankful to read these words from Psalm 33:4-5: "For the word of the Lord is right; and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord" (Amplified Bible); I was thankful for sunshine that can brighten even very cold days; thankful for the ability to bring "sunshine" to the lives of others with a smile, a kindness, or a friendly word; thankful for the multitude of daily gifts outlined in the 103rd psalm where we read: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, ... Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies". (Psalm 103:1, 3-4; New King James Version); thankful every morning for "sunshine" from the Varilux lamp on my desk - always cheers my day; thankful for the Sonlight in my heart - what a precious blessing!  I was thankful for the promise of Malachi 4:2: ". . . For you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays." (New International Version, United Kingdom Edition); thankful to our heavenly Father, thankful that He has adopted me into His own family (John 1:12); thankful to see a new layer of fresh snow outdoors and its reminder of God's words recorded in Isaiah 1:18; I was thankful for the counsel of our Savior found in Matthew 5:43-45 where it is written: " You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you this: love your enemies. Pray for those who torment you and persecute you—in so doing, you become children of your Father in heaven. He, after all, loves each of us—good and evil, kind and cruel. He causes the sun to rise and shine on evil and good alike. He causes the rain to water the fields of the righteous and the fields of the sinner." (VOICE); thankful for rest and sleep adequate for another day; thankful for each new day of life - what a gift! - unearned but much appreciated; thankful for the friends who are reading these jottings - "[I] ought always and indeed [am] morally obligated ... to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is fitting, because your faith is growing ever greater, and the [unselfish] love of each one of you toward one another is continually increasing." (2 Thessalonians 1:3; Amplified Bible); thankful for the weekly reminder that we are children of the Ruler of the Universe, Creator of all in it - what a blessing to know we are loved, that salvation from sin is freely offered to all who will accept; thankful for the privilege of Sabbath study and worship with other believers thru' my phone - you are welcome to come and join them at 280 N, US 95 (about 2 miles north of Grangeville); and I was thankful for the message of Isaiah 56:2 where this promise is written: "God’s favor rests on those who attend to justice, who devote themselves to doing what is right, who keep the Sabbath and don’t disregard or belittle it, who keep from doing what is wrong: destructive, deceitful, or violent." (VOICE).