Thankfulness #19

I have a job! It doesn't stink! It's a good job!

Thankfulness #18

The rain is pouring down outside. I had a nap. And I read in bed.

Thankfulness #18

Husband just called. His first day of school is going well!

Thankfulness #17

Breakfast of fried eggs with salt and pepper. The yolks a little runny, the toast perfectly toasted. And taste buds.

Thankfulness #16

Dark skies and quiet but insistent thunder. The storm is far away from me, and I am in my safe, safe home.

Thankfulness #15

Seeing the golden, beautiful moon's moonpath on the lake in the delightful dusky evening light.

Thankfulness #14

The full moon rising over the lake, all golden and beautiful.

Thankfulness #13

The sure knowledge that God is sovereign and ordains every event to bring the most possible glory to himself and the most possible goodness to us.

Thankfulness #12

Cinnamon in coffee.

Some of you may think it's practically a mortal sin to ruin perfectly good coffee with cinnamon. But, since income has been sparse these last few months, I haven't been able to get myself to buy coffee of higher quality (with great quality comes great price point!) than the Store Brand. And I shop (usually) at the W-mart.

So: three cups today! Cinnamon in coffee is delicious today.

Thankfulness #11

The dogwoods are starting to bloom; at lower elevations they're in full swing, and at higher elevations they're still working up to it. Delightful.

Thankfulness #10

The truth and faithfulness of the Word of God. The Bible is always true, and the more I learn about it and about everything, the truer it grows.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. --2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV

Thankfulness #9

That particular shade of green of new leaves on trees in springtime.

Photo Credit: Andrey's Photoblog (I googled it).

Thankfulness #8

My church family. They really are like a family for me. My own family is so far away, and it's nice to have people in the here and now to share life with.

Thankfulness #7

My sewing machine and the fun of seeing a project come together.

Thankfulness #6

Plenty of clean drinking water.

Thankfulness #5

Cold medicine to treat the symptoms. It makes the cough easier and eases the cough-induced headache.

Thankfulness #4

That I have such a nice husband. He's a truly kind man. What Grandma said the first weekend she met him sums it up: "I don't know how you could do any better."

That was 3+ years ago, and I'm still amazed that such a nice fellow is my husband.

Thankfulness #3

Rain. You know the sound of raindrops on the roof, but have you ever stopped to listen to it on the pavement, on the grass, on a wet parking lot?

When I lived in Hawaii, it rained a lot. I loved the rain when I was at the beach, and swimming in the rain was delightful. Think of the sound of the raindrops on the water as you're swimming.

Thankfulness #2: Easter weekend

Jesus freely took on the curse of being hung on a tree, freely gave himself over to death (the just punishment for sinful living) even though he did not commit any sins ever, but was not conquered by death! He rose again...death was undone. What a miracle. What a delight! What a surprise! It's amazing every time I stop and think about it.

We don't celebrate Easter at my church with a big annual hoo-ha with Easter lilies and special music and altar calls and stuff. Because...you know what...every Sunday is special! We celebrate the resurrection every Sunday. (Did you know that's why Sunday is the day we 'do church' and not Saturdays?) Every Sunday we get to take time, set it aside, think about the reality of our situation*, and praise God for his death and resurrection!

---

*The reality of our situation: (1) we are sinners and justly deserve condemnation for our rebelliousness against God but (2) God is merciful and has redeemed us; Jesus gave himself for our sins on the cross as the perfect sacrifice.

Thankfulness #1

Salvation.

Who:
I was saved. Me.

Why:
Because Jesus loves me. (Not because of anything else...like beauty, brains, brawn, personality, stature, birth order, ethnicity, natural ability...nope. Just because Jesus loves me.)*

How:
By faith in Jesus Christ alone.

From:
1. From eternal judgement in hell. 2. From a life lived in the dungeon of self-service. 3. From a life wasted on the emptiness of folly.

For:
1. For eternal paradise: being in God's presence, united with all believers, to worship God forever. 2. For a life lived in the freedom of God's commands.** 3. For a life spent on the fullness of Godly pursuits.

Salvation! Unless I focus my heart on this fact, I'll grow prideful (like I did something special/was something special to earn salvation) or depressed (like I'm not being good enough to maintain). The plain and simple truth is this: that I am saved because God loves me, and that can't change!



---
These facts are based on these references:

*And because of him [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." --1 Corinthians 1:30-31 ESV

**The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. --Psalm 16:6 ESV