Extravagance of Gratitude

THANKS AGAIN!
Terry R. Baughman

“This generous God who supplies abundant seed for the farmer, which becomes bread for our meals, is even more extravagant toward you. First he supplies every need, plus more. Then he multiplies the seed as you sow it, so that the harvest of your generosity will grow” (2 Corinthians 9:10 TPT).

The multiplication of seed is illustration of the abundance God imbedded in nature. From a single grain comes plants and fruit yielding thousands of seeds during their lifecycles. Each of those seeds share the same germ of life with the capacity to replicate many times over. In the beginning of Creation, “God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so” (Genesis 1:11 NKJ). 

This extravagance in the abundance of harvest demonstrates the generosity of God. Who else promises increases with a return of thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold? This return on investment far exceeds what investors normally anticipate. Even on the low end, at a minimum,  Jesus said a harvest thirty times what was planted could be expected when the seed is sown in good soil. (See Matthew 13:8.)

The seed is used for more than merely planting the next crop; it is used for food, fine-ground for flour or meal, and combined with other ingredients to produce sustenance for humanity’s survival. Bread, cakes, tortillas, or biscuits, come from the abundance of the seeds of harvest. 

Paul made the parallel that our generosity should grow like the seeds of harvest. As we reflect with gratefulness on the magnitude of God’s blessings, we will find inspiration to give out of the abundance we receive from Him. May our gratitude be extravagant as we recount our blessings from our great God! 



Theme passage:
"You will be abundantly enriched in every way as you give generously on every occasion, … it causes many to give thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11 TPT)