Thanksgiving XI ~

29 September-5 October:  In the last week, I was thankful for the purpose given for my life in God's Word - 1 Peter 2:9: "... that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light"; thankful that the Creator has already planned "good works" for me (Ephesians 2:10); I was thankful for this message from 2 Peter 1:3: "His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue." (VOICE); thankful for all the beauty of this season - the russets, yellows, and reds of autumn bring joy to this heart; thankful that our Father foresaw the sin problem and provided a perfect Savior who was ". . . made to be sin for us, [the One who] knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21; KJV); thankful for this counsel from the apostle Paul, found in Philippians 1:9-10: "And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin]" (Amplified Bible); thankful to be among those adopted into the family of God (John 1:12); thankful for a purpose - given by the Savior - to GO, to TELL the good news of the gospel, to support this telling in all the world; thankful for these words from the lips of Jesus: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12; New King James Version); thankful for memories of my eldest D.D., the one who is sleeping in peace, awaiting the call of the Life-giver on that great, gettin'-up morning when He returns for His people; thankful for the grace that covers us when we respond to the Father's wooing of our hearts; thankful for the wisdom found in the words of Proverbs 29:25 where it is written: "The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that." (Message); thankful for each new day of life and the assurance given of strength for its needs; thankful for "enough" - enough water to drink, air to breathe, enough groceries in pantry and fridge, enough of ALL I need; thankful for this promise in 1 Peter 1:3-5 where we read: "What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole." (Message); thankful for another new day - mental processes relatively intact, and on my feet; thankful to be part of the family of God - a worldwide fellowship of all who follow the Savior and trust His Word; and thankful, too, for the warning of Proverbs 27:1 - "Never brag about what you will do in the future; you have no idea what tomorrow will bring" (Easy to Read Version); thankful for a lifetime of blessing (not always perceived as such!) by which my heavenly Father has led me; thankful to be a part of a group that sees His Law as eternal, and calls others to share that view before Jesus returns; thankful for these words of encouragement from Isaiah 55:6-7: “Seek God while He’s here to be found, pray to Him while He’s close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness" (Message).