With the year coming to a close, we wanted to take some time to reflect on the relationship between gratitude and generosity, remembering why it’s so important to express one just as frequently as the other. This is the first in a series of three.
“For better, for worse. In sickness and in health…”
Those familiar vows aren’t simply a wedding script—they represent a covenant made between man, woman, and God.
Christians who take that covenant seriously understand their commitment to love each other “until death do us part.” Yet no one would ever call a marriage healthy if the couple never expressed their love for one another, but instead thought the vows were sufficient said once. After all, “She’s contractually obligated to love me,” right?
The same thing can happen between a church and your givers.
On Tuesday, we looked at how gratitude precedes generosity. Today, we want to explore how that concept applies to the givers in your church.
It’s far too easy to take givers’ generosity for granted. While God calls us to give of our finances, resources, and time, we’re also called to give of our thanks (2 Corinthians 4:15 NIV).
A church remaining silent in its gratitude to God and to the ones faithfully serving Him with their gifts misses out on a beautiful side of generosity.
When a spouse goes out of her way to express affection, it fuels reciprocal love and kindness in her husband.
When the Church takes the time to publicly thank one another for the ways each of its members live out the Gospel, generosity is reinforced in a positive and powerful way.
Creating a church culture where you celebrate generosity with gratitude to the giver creates a ripple effect of thanksgiving, joy, and even more generosity.
When gratitude both precedes and follows generosity, the two coincide to create a beautiful community of giving and thanksgiving.
So how do we do it? How do we practice gratitude so we can encourage more generous churches? Subscribe below to check out the third and final post, coming Monday!
