Generosity in Gratitude

THANKS AGAIN!
Terry R. Baughman

“You will be enriched 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 NIV).

The reciprocal benefit of generosity is increased thanksgiving to God. Gratitude and generosity have that symbiotic relationship. Each one sustains the other. When we are grateful in our attitude, we are motivated to be more giving. As we practice generosity the resulting joy brings fulfillment and an increased heart for thankfulness. 

Paul taught the Corinthians believers the value of both thanksgiving and the blessing of generosity. These believers were motivated to make an abundant pledge to assist the church in Jerusalem during a time of famine. Paul wrote to them stressing how their generous giving would result in many expressing thanks to God for their benevolence. Giving increases gratitude, and thanksgiving gives us a desire to be even more generous. 

To believers thanksgiving is not a day on the calendar, where we take a moment from our feasting and football to acknowledge that we are blessed. Thanksgiving is a way of life and an attitude that should be fostered in all who believe in Jesus. We are undeserving of any of the many blessings we constantly receive, but it is God’s pleasure to heap blessings on the unworthy and grant grace on those who have done nothing to earn it. 

From the bottom of grateful hearts let us look for ways to bless others and allow our generosity be the cause of others experiencing more gratitude. As we pay-forward the blessings we have received, we will see others following our example of generosity and the multiplication of thankful hearts. 



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)