Deuteronomy 16:16-17 No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.

With blessing comes accountability. This is sadly a truth that is being lost in society today, because so many parents fail to teach it to their children at a point when it would become ingrained. That’s a fundamental problem with the whole Santa Claus business, because it teaches children that they can receive stuff without thanking anyone. This leads to a sense of entitlement and a suppression of gratitude, and current demonstrations around the world are showing where that leads. God doesn’t need out gifts and He never has, but we desperately need to recognize and acknowledge that everything we have comes from Him. Otherwise, we become conceited brats, thinking we don’t need anyone even while we are being supported by God’s grace every second. Gratitude is one of the purest motives, and gratitude toward God is the purest of all. The better we understand how much He has done and is doing for us, the more in tune with Him, and therefore the more blessed, our lives will be.

I am very grateful that my parents made it clear that everything we received as children came from someone, and that someone was to be thanked. With my father’s position my family received many gifts, to the point he had to be careful to refuse any that were intended as bribes, so expressing gratitude and appreciation was part of the whole family lifestyle. Also, I was taught to tithe, from the point when I first started receiving an allowance. However, few people are so blessed in their upbringing. As I minister to the flock here, I need to instill in them the recognition and awareness of God’s blessings to them, so that they may grow into that mindset. That will of course mean good things for our church finances, but that in itself must not be my motive. I need to help them delight in being part of the flow of God’s grace and provision, starting with a tithe given to the church but not being limited to that, delighting to bless others because God has blessed them. In that, I must not make them feel like this is a tax being exacted from them, but rather a privilege. It is a joyful thing to recognize that our Source is the Creator of the universe, who gives to all without being stingy.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and thank You for the message for this coming Sunday! You indeed supply unstintingly. Help me communicate that reality to the believers so that their eyes of faith may be opened. Some are bound by a fear of lack, of not having enough, and they especially need to receive this truth. Help me communicate it effectively with Your words, in the power of Your Spirit, so that together we may walk in the flow of Your abundance, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!