Thanksgiving Day (in the US)

Happy Thanksgiving! Our Canadian friends celebrated already, but here in the United States, today is the day! It conjures up visions of delectable roast turkeys and hams, delicious side dishes, family gatherings, and more.
Hopefully, it brings "giving thanks" to mind, as well?
Giving thanks to God is harder than we would like to admit. Our sinful natures make each of us more self-absorbed than we should be. Sometimes we take God's goodness, mercy, and blessings for granted. Perhaps we even ignore them.

But genuine thanksgiving to God is possible in the Spirit-filled walk. It takes focus, thought, prayer, and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. Let's focus, think, pray, and ask the Spirit to make us truly grateful today....
I hope that sometime today, you will pause for a moment. Perhaps with all your friends and family around, or perhaps alone. I'd like to suggest that we read I Chronicles 16: 8 -36:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;    make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him;    tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name;    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength;    seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done,    his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, you his servants, the descendants of Israel,    his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. He is the Lord our God;    his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever,    the promise he made, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham,    the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,    to Israel as an everlasting covenant: “To you I will give the land of Canaan    as the portion you will inherit.” When they were but few in number,    few indeed, and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation,    from one kingdom to another. He allowed no one to oppress them;    for their sake he rebuked kings: “Do not touch my anointed ones;    do my prophets no harm.” Sing to the Lord, all the earth;    proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations,    his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;    he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols,    but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him;    strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;    bring an offering and come before him.Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.     Tremble before him, all the earth!    The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;    let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;    let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing,    let them sing for joy before the Lord,    for he comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;    his love endures forever. Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;    gather us and deliver us from the nations,that we may give thanks to your holy name,    and glory in your praise.” Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,    from everlasting to everlasting.

Praise the Lord for all of His blessings!
Amen!