Thankful Thursday

I've been working on my study of Hebrews this afternoon. The passage for examination next Monday is Hebrews 11:11-12:

¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

I've been dipping into the related Genesis passages (primarily Gen. 17:17-19 and Gen. 18:10-14 but several others as well) but I've also spent quite a bit of time in Romans 4. These are the verses in Romans 4 that are spurring my thankful thoughts this afternoon:

²³The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, ²⁴but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

I am so very thankful for that gift of belief, freely given to me by our gracious God through no merit of my own, that leads to my righteous justification before Him! In fact, I'm awestruck by it!

Kim of The Upward Call and several others (including me) are praising God with our thoughts of thanksgiving each Thursday of 2010. Won't you join us?