"...what do you have that you did not receive? ...." 1 Corinthians 4:7
How do you possess your possessions? By opening our hands. Sounds funny am sure, but think about this: when we are to receive we open our hands, but as soon as we have received, we close them.
This does not mean we are not grateful to God. We definitely are. But in my opinion, gratitude for blessings received for God is more than mere lip service. I like this four step approach.
A. Thank God - praise him and glorify Him publicly and privately, which means we acknowledge that God is the provider of that blessing. In continuation of the opening verse, The apostle Paul asked the rhetorical question,
When we share we should not allow the receiver to thank us and think we have given from our own bounty, but let it be clear it is from the Bounty of God. It is not we who should be thanked but God.
C. His to Him- seek out ways in which we can use His blessings to glorify Him. Be proactive, not wait for opportunities to come to us. Above all be passionate. Because to be proactive, one has to be passionate.
D. Do not misuse. Sadly this is one of the biggest problems with us all. We do not remember that as receivers of blessings we are only care takers. We need to use those blessings as responsible Christians, for His glory and our needs.
How do you possess your possessions? By opening our hands. Sounds funny am sure, but think about this: when we are to receive we open our hands, but as soon as we have received, we close them.
This does not mean we are not grateful to God. We definitely are. But in my opinion, gratitude for blessings received for God is more than mere lip service. I like this four step approach.
A. Thank God - praise him and glorify Him publicly and privately, which means we acknowledge that God is the provider of that blessing. In continuation of the opening verse, The apostle Paul asked the rhetorical question,
"...Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" the implications being that we think we have achieved out of our own efforts and not from God.
And that is exactly what we have to stop.
B. Share - we need to keep that hand open and look forward opportunities to Glorify God by sharing. By this I don't mean just tithes. Peoples needs, peoples hunger, death, poverty, we have enough opportunities to demonstrate Gods love for man. To demonstrate this, I will point to the Sikh religion. As soon as they know that something is wrong somewhere, they are out looking for ways to serve people. During the pandemic they were feeding people. They landed up in Ukraine to help people suffering from the war. They did not wait to be asked.
And that is exactly what we have to stop.
B. Share - we need to keep that hand open and look forward opportunities to Glorify God by sharing. By this I don't mean just tithes. Peoples needs, peoples hunger, death, poverty, we have enough opportunities to demonstrate Gods love for man. To demonstrate this, I will point to the Sikh religion. As soon as they know that something is wrong somewhere, they are out looking for ways to serve people. During the pandemic they were feeding people. They landed up in Ukraine to help people suffering from the war. They did not wait to be asked.
When we share we should not allow the receiver to thank us and think we have given from our own bounty, but let it be clear it is from the Bounty of God. It is not we who should be thanked but God.
C. His to Him- seek out ways in which we can use His blessings to glorify Him. Be proactive, not wait for opportunities to come to us. Above all be passionate. Because to be proactive, one has to be passionate.
D. Do not misuse. Sadly this is one of the biggest problems with us all. We do not remember that as receivers of blessings we are only care takers. We need to use those blessings as responsible Christians, for His glory and our needs.
I will end with this Bible verse from 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work".
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work".
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