While I’d love to share with you some of the history of Thanksgiving here in the U.S., I think the quote below just about sums up all I need to know about the Thanksgiving holiday.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1Thess 5:18)

One of the Thanksgiving traditions in our family is to spend some time sharing with others those things we are thankful for. If you’ll permit, I’ll share some of those things with you:

I thank God for sending His message (the Gospel) to us by His son Jesus, who is truly the Christ. (Heb 1:1-2, Rom 1:16)
I thank God for choosing to give me the grace to trust His message. (Eph 2:18)
I thank God for the grace He has since given me, which has transformed me from a man who was trapped by my own sin (John 8:34, Rom 6:14), forced to sin again and again (Rom 7:23), now into a man who is being transformed into His image (2Cor 3:18).

Perhaps this needs to be understood in context. For those who know the ten commandments, I have violated many if not most of them. (Matt 19:17) Having broken the commandments once, I then found myself compelled to break them again and again. For example, once I lied to get myself out of a difficult situation, I then found myself lying again and again–compelled to lie to cover my last lie. Indeed, before I found His Gospel, I was condemned to death and an eternity of hell fire and my wicked actions declared this to me. (Luke 13:5)

I was once condemned by my own sin, and I knew it.

Since finding His Gospel, I have been changed (2Cor 5:17). I am no longer the liar that I was. I no longer steal (1Cor 6:11). Instead, He has filled me with peace, with patience, with love, joy and more. Many of these unspeakable gifts I never knew I was missing.

For this, I am thankful.
I am thankful that I even have a family. Were it not for God’s word, my wife and I would’ve split many years ago–long before we ever had our first child.

If you are struggling in your marriage, may I recommend that Jesus is a wonderful marital counselor? Obedience to His word is what kept my wife and I together.
I am thankful to the God who has given me the opportunity to work on FPGAs, even when I started with a very limited budget.

It’s often said that it takes money to make money. Yet if God is characterized as a Lord who can make money from nothing, and accepts this description of Himself, then there’s something for the poor to learn from Him. (Matt 25:24)
I am thankful to have met so many wonderful people while working on the ZipCPU, and posting on the ZipCPU blog.

Thank you to my supporters.

Thank you to everyone who has corresponded with me and encouraged me in this endeavor.

Indeed, I have much to be thankful for.

Thank you!

May I suggest you also take a moment to consider what you are thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!