Thankful greetings from Plum Cottage

 Hello friends, sorry for the long absence, I hope to be blogging on a more regular basis. I just got a larger monitor which is a great help for aging eyes. I have many photos to edit, lots of flowers, etc. Fencing is still coming along. ;-) House projects are ongoing.

It is hard to believe that our celebration of Thanksgiving here in the US is this Thursday. This year has zipped along so fast. I will be celebrating with a sweet family from my church and am looking forward to a day of laughter, love, good food and thanksgiving.

 I have so much to be thankful for. This little cottage, lots of flowers, butterflies, bees, birds, including several fast flying hummingbirds, two outdoor feline visitors, food to eat, a comfy bed to sleep in, hot and cold running water, friends, family, a Bible believing church, and much more.

I am learning to be thankful in all circumstances. To be found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, (NASB) is the following:

Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God
for you in Christ Jesus.

Last night I watched a you tube video about being thankful and part of the msg was about how when we praise and our hearts are filled with gratitude to God, we are energized. 

When we dwell on negative things in our life, we become filled with 'dis-ease' in body, spirit and mind. The more we are thankful, the better we feel even though our circumstances may still be the same. Our hearts grow lighter, our faith stronger in The One who loves us deeply.

Below are some other scripture verses about being thankful.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God. 

Psalm 136:1
Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever. 

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ
rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body
you were called to peace.
and be thankful. 

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Psalms 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him,
and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.

Psalms 95:2-3
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.

2 Corinthians 4:14-18
We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead
will also raise us with Jesus
and present us with you to himself.

All this is for your benefit,
so that the grace that is reaching more and more people
may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal. 

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What we see can weigh us down, or draw us closer to Jesus our Great God, as we thank Him in all things. We as believers in Him are not promised a life with no problems. We are promised that He will be with us always. We are to take heart.

 Psalms 27:14
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.

 Joshua 1:9
Be strong and courageous!
Do not be terrified nor dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you
wherever you go.

Psalm 31:24
Be strong
let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.

 ******

Here is a new song we have been singing in church the past few weeks. This is a you-tube version. The other night is was going through my mind all night, but, what a great song to be being repeated in my mind.

 My pastor shared an interesting tidbit yesterday. He was talking about being happy and a list of the most thankful people in the world. The Jewish people, in spite of all that they have gone through and are going through, are at the top of the list.

Americans celebrate thanksgiving once a year.

Jewish people celebrate thanksgiving once a week, on Friday, with their shabbat.

As Christians we have the privilege and the choice to celebrate thanksgiving each and every day for all that God has done and is doing in our lives.

It is our choice.  Do we choose to be thankful?

Because of God's great love for His creation, He took on flesh, came as a babe into this world, His name is Jesus. He gave His life to pay for our sins, past, present and future. He rose from the grave, defeating death, so that we may live with Him forever, made perfect and pure by his great sacrifice.  Each day we are blessed with is a gift. God loves each of us and wants a close relationship. He is lovingly waiting for you to call out to Him if you haven't done so already. 

******

Enjoy all of the prep work for celebrating this Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day whether you are by yourself or with others.

May you be inspired to be thankful every day.

Count your blessings. 

Happy Thanksgiving ~ every day.

FlowerLady