Thankful

We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us – one gracious blessing after another. (John 1:16 nlt)
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Col 4:2 nlt -emphasis added)

I am blessed beyond words and would like to touch on the particulars of some recent reasons for thankfulness in this sometimes ugly world. Darkness in the world, manifested in hatred of God and directed toward true Christians is a force we must not ignore. The god of this world (Satan) is in a spiritual battle with God and the truth of who Christ is and what He did for us on the cross. One need not look much further than the television and entertainment industry to find this raging, spiritual war. I've had limited experience in the industry yet have seen the animosity toward the Bible, Christians and Jesus Christ. You probably have seen it and have experienced it as well. We can conclude that basically nothing has changed from the hatred of Christ nearly 2000 years ago---as recorded in the gospels.

Now I would like to share a true blessing among this darkness that truly stands out. Currently I work in a television station...some might say next to the heart of Hollywood, as visual media goes. There are those at work who openly are not ashamed to express their hatred of the Bible, God and Christians. The devil is ever present.
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is also present not only within each Christian who might work at the station but Christ is likewise being shared and discussed to honor and glorify His name. Within the darkness, a Bible study goes on each week. It meets once a week between the 6 o'clock and 10 o'clock news. Any are welcome to attend and it's a blessing I needed to recognize and be thankful for.
Among the many blessings we all must not forget to be thankful for, (such as our parents, siblings, water, food, love, and most importantly what God did in sending his Son Jesus Christ to die for us on a cross and rise again to pay the penalty for our sin), there is another one I would like to mention because I've seen it shared a lot in the past few days.
This blessing I believe is directly from the Lord as well. This blessing is more personal to me and has meant more to me than words can express yet I know she is someone others surely have been blessed to know as well. I think so much of her and pray for the wisdom to be able to express my thanks to her for whom she is and has been in my life. When I'm feeling low or feeling sorry for myself for example, she is the calm and reassuring peaceful expression of what love is. When she is simply being who she is, I think she is a wonderful expression of what love truly looks like. Of course, I might be a little biased since she's the girl who I'm in love with, but I don't think so.
Thank you Reada for your affection and Christ-like love you've shown me since our relationship began 5 months ago. I thank God for you daily.
"Let us come before him with thanksgiving. Let us sing him psalms of praise." (Psalm 95:2 nlt -emphasis added)

All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. (2 Corinthians 4:15 nlt)