“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (Psalm 100:4 ESV).
You can’t say “thanks” without “giving.” The two go together. Yet many Americans have forgotten this secret to a thriving life of giving and gratitude. The result is a grumbling and greedy society that is growing increasingly unhappy.
Perhaps it is our focus on money and possessions that keeps us so discontent (Have you noticed that “miser” and “miserable” have the same root?). We make it our life’s goal to accumulate money and more stuff, then we discover that we never have enough. We always need a little more to make us happy.
What’s the answer?
Simple. “Thanks-giving.” The cure for grumbling is gratitude. And the antidote for greed is giving.
The Psalmist encourages us to “enter” God’s house with “thanksgiving.” We shouldn’t come empty-handed. We should come bringing our gifts of thanks. The people of the Bible understood the connection between thanks and giving.
Listen to these words from Judah’s King Hezekiah:
“‘You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord.’ So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings… Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people…” (2 Chronicles 29:31, 36 NIV).
This coming Sunday is the Sunday before our national holiday of Thanksgiving Day. I can’t think of a more appropriate day to bring in our “Thrive Drive” pledges and offerings. That’s why we’re asking our WCCers to give their “thank offerings” by turning in their 36-month Thrive Pledge cards and one-time Thrive gifts on this coming Sunday.
Prepare your hearts and wallets now. So that on Sunday you’ll be able to “enter” God’s house with a heart full of gratitude and hands full of giving!