Generous Giving = Giving Thanks

“You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
2 Corinthians 9:11

As I sat thinking about how easily we take things for granted; how we get discouraged when we don’t get the things that we think we need and how this can make us thankless and selfish - this week’s passage came to mind, probably because we had been talking about it at church. The Message version say’s it even more eloquently: “This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.”

I think this is the antidote for the - “I’m taking life for granted and acting like a spoiled child” rut we often find ourselves in. But, how do we cultivate a generous life that leads to a life of giving thanks? We must follow the extravagant example set for us by the God we serve.

God, the Father, gave us his only Son (John 3:16).

The Son, Jesus, gives us peace (John 14:27). He gave us His life to pay our debt (Matthew 20:28) and then He gives us His Spirit (John16:7) to teach and guide us.

The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, and other amazing gifts needed to be and do all that God has called us to - helping us to reflect Jesus to everyone around us.

You see we serve an extravagantly generous God, in fact everything we have He has given us and as we read in the Message version of this week’s passage He expects us to give it away. In giving it away we are participating in a more powerful form of giving thanks, than the simple words we sometimes mutter. 

Need a cure for the “I’m taking life for granted and acting like a spoiled child” rut? Become a giver because generous giving = giving thanks. 

A Prayer
Father - Thank you for the extravagant generosity you show us each and every day. Forgive us for the times we take for granted all that we have. Teach us how to be extravagantly generous so that every day can be a thanks giving day. In the name of the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit who model extravagant generosity we pray - Amen.