This is the time of the year that we set aside to celebrate two very important components of the best in humanity, thankfulness and generosity. We do this with holidays that should remind us to continually have an attitude of gratitude, and to give generously to those we love and those in need. Sadly, commercialism and greed have overshadowed the true meaning of these celebrations. No doubt, this makes the devil happy. Liking nothing better than to preoccupy our minds with his agenda, he wants to snatch the incredible wonder of our Savior’s birth and the bounty of Heavenly Father’s blessings from our hearts. We must not allow this to happen.
The wisdom of Proverbs 12:25 (NLT) tells us, “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” Jesus Christ made it available for us to travel light through life. He doesn’t want us carrying heavy burdens, and tells us so in Matthew 11:28-30, where he encourages us to give our burdens to him. He tells us to learn about him, so that we can live a life that pleases God and personally fulfills us as well. Worry and stress are weights. They keep our hearts and minds boggled down so that we forget to look up and embrace our Heavenly Father’s grace. He has supplied the encouraging Word that will always cheer us up if we will take the time to read it.
Thanksgiving is a day to focus on being thankful for the bounty of God’s blessings, and it is so appropriate that Christmas comes right after it. There’s no greater blessing given to the world than God’s only begotten Son, and we should be thankful for Jesus all year through. He said in John 3:16-17(NLT), “16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” Our hearts should overflow with gratitude for what God has done through Jesus Christ.
1Thessalonians 5:18(NLT) says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Most of us have the capacity to be thankful, and it is God’s Will that we express it, and do so often. No matter what we’re going through, we should give thanks that our conditions and circumstances are not worse. There are many people that wish they were in our shoes and could stand where we do at this moment. They are living under horrendous conditions, yet they are humble, and have far less than we do. It pleases God when we remember that we are where we are because of His grace. Not only should we remember this always, but we should let the spirit of thankfulness move us to generosity.
Many of us have bought into extreme gift giving. We want to impress a girlfriend, boyfriend, and/or loved ones. We’ve allowed the stress of finances to ruin our holidays. Others are so over it that they just want the season to be done as quickly as possible. It’s not difficult to see that many people have missed the point. We spend most of the year working to make a living, taking care of ourselves and our families. God made all of it possible through the Lord Jesus Christ. We can’t do anything without Him. God wants us to remember that although it isn’t always easy, we’re being prepared for His purpose and this is something to be very joyful and hopeful about. We should never skip or neglect an opportunity to show our gratitude to Him for all He’s done for us through the Holy Spirit.
It isn’t about how much money we have or what we’ve spent on a gift. Half the time that stuff doesn’t come from a pure heart anyway. The gifts that mean the most are our investments of time, energy, thoughtfulness, compassion, and caring. These are stamped with the love of Christ, because we’re allowing ourselves to be conduits of his love. Refuse to let anything or anyone steal thankfulness and generosity from your heart. Pour it on in this blessed season as you remember what God has done for you. Give back to Him first, then to others, with a heart that is humble, thankful, and eager to be a blessing.■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“ A Season of Thankfulness and Generosity” by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.