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| A Dandelion in the Sun - Newport Beach, California - By Ken Hulsey |
In this week leading up to Thanksgiving the Lord has placed several items on my heart. In this season for giving and sharing it is indeed important to give thanks to God for the blessings He has imparted on each and every one of us. But, I believe that we should take the time to reflect on these blessings and search our souls to make sure that we are truly grateful to God for what He, through His grace, provides. The Lord has made it a priority for me to learn just what being grateful truly means. We have to learn and understand that everything we either own or simply enjoy comes from grace. If we don't express genuine gratitude to the source of all these things (Jesus) they may be removed from our lives just as easily as they have been added. As in my case the removal of such items lead to the realization that I was never truly grateful for them. I now have a different perspective on life and my relationship with Jesus. If you open your heart and mind the Almighty Teacher will indeed teach you many things about yourself that you never understood before.
Interestingly enough the devotional I read this evening from Wisdom for Each Day by Billy Graham was entitled The Spirit of Gratitude.
One Day Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, ten lepers approached Him and pleaded for Him to heal them. In an instant they were restored to perfect health, but only one, "when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him" (Luke 17:15-16). All the others left without a single word of thanks. They were preoccupied with themselves and gripped by a spirit of ingratitude.
Such ingratitude and thanklessness are far too common in our world. Children forget to thank their parents for all they do. Common courtesy is scorned. People take for granted the way others help them. And, above all, we fail to thank God for His blessings. Such an ungrateful heart is cold toward God and indifferent to His mercy and love. It is a heart that has forgotten how dependent we are on God for everything.
Be like the one leper: Take time to give thanks - and mean it. It brings glory to God, warmth to relationships, and a special awareness of God's love and grace towards you.
Now what if we take our gratitude and pay it forward with generosity. What if we shared our blessings with others? That was the subject of a recent sermon by Pastor James W. Greer last week at Journey Church here in Pineville, Louisiana:
Generosity is a principle of God.
We are most like God when we have generous hearts. (John 3:16-17, NKJV) God is generous with His wisdom. (James 1:5, CEV)
God is generous with His good gifts. (James 1:17, NKJV)
God is generous with His forgiveness. (1 John 1:9, NKJV)
Generosity has a promise.
God is generous with His prosperity and blessings. (Proverbs 11:24-25, TPT Passion, TLB) We are blessed to be a blessing. Our prosperity or poverty will greatly be determined by our generosity or our tightness.
God is generous with IT. (Luke 6:38, NKJV)
What does generosity mean?
Readiness in giving.
Lack of readiness keeps us from being generous. Being rude, judgmental, and harsh keeps us from being generous.
Smallness of mind or our character keeps us from being generous.
Generous people are happy people.
Be ready to be generous in your giving and that will lead to happiness, kindness, and thoughtfulness. As you go about your day with joy, giving generously with happiness, kindness, and thoughtfulness, you will make an impact on people’s lives. They will want the Jesus you love and serve. (Acts 20:35, NKJV; 2 Corinthians 9:7-8, NKJV; Psalm 112:9, TLB)
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