Bible Verse: Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. (Psalm 103:1-4)
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
This week, we are looking at gratitude through the acronym T.H.A.N.K.S.
In the book Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Jean Valjean is a man who escaped after spending nineteen years in prison. Looking for a place to sleep for the night, he is taken in by a Christian bishop. Early the next morning, Jean Valjean steals some of the bishop’s silver and flees. He is caught by the police and forced to return. But the bishop does something totally unexpected: not only does he not press charges, he also gives Jean two more silver candlesticks. The bishop’s kindness and mercy so move Jean that his life is transformed, and he spends the rest of his life being generous to others.
In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey coined the terms “scarcity mindset” and “abundance mindset”.
When we are complainers, we forget all that we have been given. We feel that we are hard done by, that our lives have been unfair, and we live with a scarcity mindset. We don’t think that we are in any position to be generous, to give anything away, because we are so desperate to hang onto the little that we have.
When we are thankful people, we remember all that we have been given. We realize that our cups are filled to overflowing (Psalm 23:5), and we live with an abundance mindset. We know that Jesus has filled our lives with peace, joy and forgiveness. We have been blessed with His presence, His promises, and His eternal future, and we discover that we are free to share what we have with those around us.
Thankfulness spurs us on to generosity, and God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). It is the very heart of God to be generous, and He wants us to be just like Him.
May thankfulness describe our hearts and actions, and may we know the health and life that a thankful heart brings.
Prayer: Lord, You have been extremely generous to me. Help me to keep track of and to remember the many gifts that You have given me so that I may live with an “abundance mindset” and be generous just as You are. Forgive me for my complaints, for the times I have not honoured Your many kindnesses to me. You deserve all my praise, and I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for Your love. Amen.
Reflection: If thankfulness was on a spectrum, and one end was a scarcity mindset, while the other was an abundance mindset, where would you place yourself? Why would you place yourself there? What might a trusted brother say about your place on that spectrum?
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