06 April 2025

Thanksgiving XII ~

30 March-5 April:  During the past week, I was thankful for the assurance that the Father knows our difficulties and troubles (Psalm 34:19, Isaiah 63:9 and many others), that He knows our pain and suffers with us; that there WILL come a day when there will be "no more" of these things that cause heartache (Revelation 21:4); for the peace that comes when I remember that He truly does have the world in His hands, I was thankful that ". . . the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7); thankful for a trip into the "big city" north of us for the annual hearing evaluation; thankful, ALWAYS, for safe travel out and back; thankful as I remember these powerful words from Isaiah 53:5-6 as we move toward the observance of Resurrection Sunday: "... He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all." (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition); thankful for another bright and beautiful sunlight-filled morning; thankful for the years of my life past the "threescore and ten" the Bible calls "the days of our years" (Psalm 90:10) - like any life, there have been paths I'd rather not travel again, but the Master is faithful and He's NEVER left me alone; thankful for this promise from Hosea 14:4: ". . . I will cure you of . . . faithlessness, and my love will know no bounds. . . ." (The Living Bible); thankful for a night of sound sleep and the restoration that it brings; thankful for the creative cooks and their recipes (illustrated in various media) focused on the things that promote good health; thankful for the precious gift of prayer - no cost to the pray-er, and immediate connection with heaven!  I was thankful to know spring has come in spite of what I see as I look from my window - yesterday was an interesting mix of fluffy snowflakes and wind with periods of sunshine and blue skies!  I was thankful for the blessing of tissue repair and healing that occurs after an injury - nothing less than a miracle; thankful to read this counsel from Hebrews 12:2 where it is written: "We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne." (Easy to Read Version); thankful for a toasty abode that keeps me warm and dry in April snow; thankful for the family that surrounds me with love and affection; thankful for this message from Ephesians 1:7-10 where we read: "In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor, which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence), making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in Him, [He planned] ... to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth." (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition);

thankful for a new day of life and the promise of strength for the day; thankful that I can live confidently as a daughter of our heavenly Father, who is love; and I was thankful for the message of 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 where it is written: "We are ruled by Christ’s love for us. We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us." (Common English Bible).








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