Give Thanks....It is good and right to do so.

I just read an e-mail from a tobacco blender who said that one of the aspects of Thanksgiving he enjoyed was that it really did not have any religious connections. This gentleman is sorely mistaken. We all owe our creator thanksgiving, and our lack of being thankful is one of our central problems as humans. But being grateful requires humility and honestly looking at what we deserve: and we do not like to participate in these activities.
I have so unbelievably much to be thankful for. My Lord has overfilled my cup and He doesn't seem to stop. I have been given so much; health, material, comfort, food, love, a new home. He has given me love from my dream girl and my wonderful children. Most importantly he has given me Himself. I am not as thankful as I should be, nor do I love Him as much as I should. I pray that even if Jesus removes some of these earthly blessings from me that I will continue to love Him more and to not grumble. I want to maintain and increase a spirit of thankfulness. The only reason that he would remove these blessings from me is for my good, and I need to remember that he will not give me a serpent, scorpion or stone because He loves me.
So as we lift our cups of wine today in celebration, let us not forsake thanksgiving to the Son of Man for the overflowing cup that He drank in exchange for the overflowing cup He gives.

Blessings
Author of all blessings I enjoy, of all I hope for,
Thou has taught me
that neither the experience of present evils,
nor the remembrances of former sins,
nor the remonstrances of friends,
will or can affect a sinner's heart,
except thou vouchsafe to reveal thy grace
and quicken the dead in sin
by the effectual working of thy Spirit's power.
Thou has shown me
that the sensible effusions of divine love
in the soul are superior to and distinct from
bodily health,
and that oft-times spiritual comforts are
at their highest when physical well-being is
at it's lowest.
Thou has given me the ordinance of song
as a means of grace;
Fit me to bear my part in that music ever new,
which elect angels and saints made perfect
now sing before thy throne and before the Lamb.
I bless thee for tempering every distress with joy;
too much of the former might weigh me down,
too much of the latter might puff me up;
Thou art wise to give me a taste of both.
I love thee
for giving me clusters of grapes
in the wilderness
and drops of heavenly wine
that set me longing to have my fill.
Apart from thee I quickly die,
befeft of thee I starve,
far from thee I thirst and droop;
But thou art all I need.
Let me continually grasp the promise,
'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.'
-from the The Vally of Vision