JUNE 2015
ISSUE 15
T H E N E T WO R K The power of giving thanks We have just recently celebrated our Thanksgiving Weekend, during which we had a thanksgiving meal together and Sunday services where the focus was on giving thanks to God.Various people took the opportunity to say what they were particularly thankful for, and we expressed our thanks to God by giving an offering towards the Nepal Earthquake Appeal fund. Although originally we were intending to have a 'thanksgiving offering' to bless the church, when the news of the earthquake in Nepal broke, we immediately realised that we needed to do something, and it seemed obvious to us that the thanksgiving offering intended for the church should, in fact, be given away. We pray that this offering will be blessed and used by God to bring comfort and help in that land. 'Thank you' are two very powerful words, especially when directed towards God. As Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback church has said, "God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too. … An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God.When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy." -- Rick Warren Thanking God brings a smile to his face, but it also has an impact on us. The Bible says: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp and the melody of a lyre.” (Psalm 92:1-3) It's good - it does you good.
Giving thanks keeps us humble, because it reminds us that all we have is a gift from God, rather than a monument to our own brilliance. Giving thanks stops us from
We raised about
£3,000
at our Thanksgiving Services to go to the Nepal Earthquake Appeal! getting things out of proportion. If you are anything like me, you are prone to this...pressures and irritations build up and we find ourselves losing it over the most inconsequential thing. Giving thanks focuses us back on what we have that we can be grateful for, rather than what we do not have. With our focus on what we do have rather than on what we don't have, we find a sense of proportion returning. Giving thanks confronts a 'me first' attitude. According to a well-known saying, Charity begins at home - and that's where it all-too-often stays! It's never particularly convenient to put others first. There are so many things we could do with the money we could raise from a thanksgiving offering - so many projects that need funding. But it is more blessed to give than to receive, and prioritising the tragedy in Nepal over our own needs
is a way of confronting that 'me first' attitude and trusting that God will bless us as we first bless others. "Give, and you will receive.Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38 NLT) Giving thanks is a powerful thing! An attitude of gratitude releases us into a new level of trust and adventure with God. "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." (Matthew 16:25) Giving thanks leads to action! I cannot truly give thanks to God for all that he has given me and done for me, and not be motivated to give back to him, to offer myself for his cause. Thanksgiving is the only authentic place to launch into action, because it ensures that there are not selfish, sinful motives lurking in our hearts. There are so many opportunities to serve him - not out of guilt, or coercion, but out of a thankful heart. "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others". (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT) How are you going to express your thanks to God for all that he has done for you? You can't out-give him, but you can express your heartfelt thanks to him through acts of kindness and service to others!