There is a reason, don’t you know, why most churches traditionally run their stewardship campaigns sometime near Thanksgiving, and that reason is probably obvious to you: The approach of Thanksgiving reminds us to be grateful for our blessings.
We’ve been studying Adam Hamilton’s book “Enough” in our adult Sunday School class. Very good book. (Adam Hamilton is a United Methodist, pastor of the 12,000 member Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, MO.) He makes a number of important, even profound points in the book and among them are these:
We’ve been studying Adam Hamilton’s book “Enough” in our adult Sunday School class. Very good book. (Adam Hamilton is a United Methodist, pastor of the 12,000 member Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, MO.) He makes a number of important, even profound points in the book and among them are these:
(1) greatest obstacle to generous giving is fear. Many people – even Christians – are afraid that they will not have enough if they tithe to their church. Hamilton acknowledges, and I agree, that some of us are burdened with so much debt that we may not yet be able to tithe. Yet for many of us, fear of scarcity keeps us from being as generous as we are truly able.
(2) Our fear can be overcome by faith, specifically faith that remembers to be grateful. Hamilton reminds his congregation (which is encouraged to tithe) that God is a God of abundance and that they have been greatly blessed.
A couple of years back, my wife, Margaret, pointed out to me the experience of an author she’d come to appreciate: Every night before going to sleep, she (the author) lists the blessings of the day. At first she could think of only a few but as she continued the practice, she found that the list grew longer and longer every night. She discovered that she was being abundantly blessed every day in ways she had simply failed to notice.
What a difference there is between people who count their blessings and those who are focused on the negative. Truly, this is no small thing. I believe, in fact, that the secret of happiness is gratitude. I have seen this to be true in the lives of affluent Christians and those of more modest means: Gratitude for God’s gifts is the key to happiness – and the reason for the desire to give generously in return. As a brother Christian once said to me, “This is the best time of the year; we get to decide what we’re going to give away!” Now that’s a grateful Christian!
I challenge you, friends, to start counting your blessings. Give God thanks and praise for all you’ve been given. Do this every day, every chance you have. I know it will change your life.
Wishing you the gift of gratitude, happiness, and the joy of generous giving,
--Pastor Mark
(2) Our fear can be overcome by faith, specifically faith that remembers to be grateful. Hamilton reminds his congregation (which is encouraged to tithe) that God is a God of abundance and that they have been greatly blessed.
A couple of years back, my wife, Margaret, pointed out to me the experience of an author she’d come to appreciate: Every night before going to sleep, she (the author) lists the blessings of the day. At first she could think of only a few but as she continued the practice, she found that the list grew longer and longer every night. She discovered that she was being abundantly blessed every day in ways she had simply failed to notice.
What a difference there is between people who count their blessings and those who are focused on the negative. Truly, this is no small thing. I believe, in fact, that the secret of happiness is gratitude. I have seen this to be true in the lives of affluent Christians and those of more modest means: Gratitude for God’s gifts is the key to happiness – and the reason for the desire to give generously in return. As a brother Christian once said to me, “This is the best time of the year; we get to decide what we’re going to give away!” Now that’s a grateful Christian!
I challenge you, friends, to start counting your blessings. Give God thanks and praise for all you’ve been given. Do this every day, every chance you have. I know it will change your life.
Wishing you the gift of gratitude, happiness, and the joy of generous giving,
--Pastor Mark
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