Gratitude: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

I believe that generosity is one of the most beautiful attitudes in the world. God is generous to us, and when we are generous to others, we show that we are truly thankful for all He does for us. When I receive a blessing, I want to share it with my family or someone who is in need. I certainly was not always this way, and I give God all the credit for making that change in me.

Gratitude, joy, and generosity are a never-ending cycle. When I am thankful, it makes me feel happy; and when I am thankful and happy it makes me want to give. Then when I give, it makes me even happier, which makes me even more thankful!

You don’t have to wait for something good to happen to you before you start being generous. You can start the cycle in your life by taking one step of generosity. When you do, you will experience the benefits of it. Jesus says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 NIV), and I believe this wholeheartedly.

The New Testament story of Zacchaeus also teaches that when we are grateful, we become generous (Luke 19:1-9). Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and in those days tax collectors were among the most hated people in society because they were usually dishonest. They collected the taxes due to the government but were also allowed to collect monies they wanted for themselves. You can imagine how greedy some of them were.

Apparently, Zacchaeus was tired of the way he was living because when he heard that Jesus was passing by, he was determined to see Him. Because Zacchaeus was short in stature and unable to see Jesus over all the people who had gathered, he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up in a tree so that when Jesus walked by, he could easily see Him.

As Jesus passed under the tree where Zacchaeus sat, He looked up and told him to come down because He was going to his house. Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay four times the amount” (Luke 19:8 NIV). Jesus then said, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9 NIV).

Zacchaeus was so thankful to have Jesus come to his home and forgive his sins that, without any prompting from anyone, he immediately wanted to be generous.

So, I want to ask you: How do you view your giving? Do you see it as an obligation or a privilege? Do you give merely because you have a habit of doing so, or do you give from a heart of true gratitude for all God has done for you?

As Winston Churchill once said: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

_{Adapted from the book The Power of Thank You by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2022 by Joyce Meyer. Published by Hachette Book Group, Inc. All rights reserved.}