So Much To Be Thankful For! 😄Day Six

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton -

Index: _Day1 | _Day2 | _Day3 | _Day4 | _Day5 | _Day6 | _Day7

Day Six:

I am very thankful this morning for my faith.

Please don't think that I'm bragging. An integral component of my faith is the recognition and acknowledgement that it has been granted to me as a gift from God. I haven't done anything to initiate, generate, or merit my faith.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus, my God, has been very kind to me and—by whatever combination of means—has instilled this faith in me.

I know that those means include some mystical, not readily observable internal adjustments to my thinking. However, they also involve more mundane means. For example, the "accident" of my birth into a family that took me to church, encounters with other Christians whose life and example have inspired me, and books that I have read.

Most significant of those books is, of course, the bible.

Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ.
Image courtesy of Ben White and http://unsplash.com

I'm grateful for the bible.

In my early teen years, the bible became, and has continued to be, the de-facto guide for my life.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

I am thankful for the Sunday school teachers and bible club leaders who encouraged and coached me to memorize scripture. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times, in the context of any given life situation, some of those words from the bible come to mind and offer me effective, immediate guidance.

Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ.
Image courtesy of DJ Paine and http://unsplash.com

The bible is written, predominantly, in Hebrew and Greek.

I am very grateful for the teacher who gave extensive amounts of time to instruct me and others in the skills necessary to read Greek and Hebrew. Poor student though I may be, much of the Greek has "stuck" and still serves me as I continue to study the word of Jesus my God. You may be familiar with my "Curmudgeon's Bible" series of articles. If not, may I recommend them? Here's an example:

The Curmudgeon's Bible - "Hallowed Be Thy Name"

I intend to continue adding to them from time to time.

I am also grateful to another friend who is a very serious student of Hebrew, and to whom I turn when I have specific questions on points of the language.

Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ.
Image courtesy of Tanner Mardis and http://unsplash.com

And so today, with great gratitude,

I recommend to you the bible as the ideal source of information and guidance if you are seeking a faith of your own.

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."- Romans 10:17

I am convinced that exposure to the words and ideas in that book could be just what you are looking for, just the thing that you need to fill that deep hunger in the darkest recesses of your being.

I'd suggest you start with John's book.

In that relatively short book, you will meet the man who I believe to be God himself. The man who created not only you, but the entire universe as well. That man is Jesus.

Hint: You can read John at Bible Gateway, but I would urge you to click on the little gear icon ⚙️, uncheck all the boxes, and then click on the printer icon 🖨️so that you can read John's story without distractions.

My nominees for the positivity challenge are:

After reading my entries, several have expressed interest in this challenge, and so today I nominate:

@creatr, @dreemsteem, @ablaze

IF, for whatever reason, you do not care to participate, no problem. No pressure. No worries.

The rules:

Write a post about something you have to be postive about today - this could be anything from being thankful for your current situation, someone being nice to you, being thankful for your friends and family, or even being thankful for the oppurtunity you have been given here on Steemit - just keep it positive :)
Do this for 7 days in a row if you get nominated
Mention three people who should do this on each day.
Tag it with #7daypositivitychallenge and include these rules at the bottom of your post
Include a picture of something positive (related to your story if possible.

Note: You can find the original challenge post here:

"7 Day Positivity Challenge" by @conradt

_FIN

P.S. If you have an "in" with anybody at Steemit, Inc. - Would you please ask them to get rid of these damn, extremely annoying "off-website" arrow/boxes? The have, overnight, made Steemit ugly. There are much better solutions.

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Thanks for your time and attention.
You are why I'm here on Steemit!
I have very eclectic interests and hope, over time, to write about them all.