Psalm 119:169-176

Psalm 119:169-176 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Today, many of us will gather around a table with loved ones and express our gratitude for what we have received, either as an unexpected blessing or as the result of hard work.  We'll talk about what we're grateful for and what we're hopeful for, and in this country there is much to put in both categories, while we also should not forget that we still have a long way to go in showing selfless love and seeking ways to serve others. 
  Mostly, I'm grateful for the fact that the God who created me, who knit me together in my mother's womb, who crafted me with a purpose and on purpose, was not satisfied to create me and leave me to figure things out on my own.  Long before I caught breath of this wondrous place, a guiltless Savior ascended the cross and took on my guilt, our guilt, and paid the ultimate price so that I might not be condemned to die due to my sinful choices.  My fate might have been sealed, but it was unsealed and redeemed by the blood of an innocent lamb who felt that no obstacle is too great, no price too high to pay for eternity.  I did not deserve this, and it is wildly unfair in my favor, and I am grateful to have been set free from sin and death by this wild love of God.
  When we talk about what we are grateful for, may we remember the selfless love of God that saw fit to redeem us from sin.  While it is nice to have food on the table and loved ones beside us, the best gift we've received often goes unmentioned as we forget due to the tyranny of the urgent -- there is so much going on that we forget to give thanks for all that we have received through the power of the Holy Spirit.
  Be blessed!