Gratitude to the Giver by Alicia Briscoe

 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15

As I celebrated my husband's 60th birthday with family and friends, a spirit of gratefulness filled my heart. It was so amazing to see everyone so excited to celebrate a person who loves people and loves encouraging them. I call him my “social butterfly” because he sows seed in everyone he meets and at times God allow him to receive a harvest of seeing or hearing the impact it may have had in their lives. This was one of those days.

I refer to my husband as my good and perfect gift from God. I am so grateful that God chose me to do life with such an amazing spirit-man. My heart was overflowing with gratitude towards God for choosing to give me such a special gift of a spirit filled man that represent Gods character in every encounter he is afforded. I know the word of God say’s a man finds a wife, but God leads and guides the man’s heart to a certain woman.

Gratitude has a deeper meaning than mere thanks. We say thanks all the time without even thinking about it or putting any effort. Like, we say thank you to someone who opens a door for us, thanks to a friend who gives us something, or thanks to the cashier at the checkout. Though “thanks” may be sincere in expression, it is often the mannerly response to ordinary acts. Gratitude is so much more and suggests a deeper feeling of inner delight that rises unforced from the heart. Not always a verbal response, but an emotional outpouring.

Remember, Gratitude is the feeling of joy that rises in one’s heart when thinking about the giver, not the gift. The doer, not the deed. The actor, not the act. Psalm 9:1 reminds us of this; I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God’s Greatest Gift by Alicia Briscoe

Image
  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16   What is the greatest gift you received from God? I’m sure you are like me; you can’t just name one because God gives the greatest gifts. From the beginning, God proved himself generous by creating us in His likeness and image along with a world of abundance. Although we may have a list of answers for this question, we all would say “The greatest gift God gave to us was Himself.” God’s example of generosity so selfless, an act in human history so important: Jesus’ died on the cross for us, what love. There is nothing in the world more important than the unity of people and God, bringing eternal abundant life and promising that we are never alone. Sometimes we do not honor God as we should, in his unbounded generosity, he gave his best and most valuable, the only thing he had only one of – his Son. Instead of aba...
Read more

Don’t Quit, Reap Your Harvest! – by Alicia Briscoe

Image
So, let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 The harvest has always been a beautiful and important part of life on earth, the time when the year’s work bears fruit, and the people are fed.   One of my favorite scriptures about harvest is Galatians 6:9. When I read this scripture, it gives me hope and encouragement to keep moving. Especially when you face challenging times and people. But when I meditate on this scripture, it reveals so much more. It is an opportunity to get in God’s presence to gain understanding during processing cycle.   It reveals in the practical sense that you are like a farmer that sow seeds and reaps a harvest. This concept leads to me asking questions like; “Am I sowing seeds?” “What kind of seed am I sowing?” “What kind of harvest am I expecting?”   These questions are valid because they will determine the cycle that takes place in reaping a ...
Read more

Change, An Intentional Process – by Milo Briscoe

Image
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP I used to look at this verse as just a person becoming new through accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. But, after I spent more time meditating on it and understanding what it takes to become new, now my perspective is different.   Change means to make (someone or something) different; alter or modify, Merriam-Webster . A synonym for change is convert. Salvation takes place instantly, but change can take a lifetime as we learn to think, Romans 12:2, and act like our Heavenly Father.  What I realized is the change, the conversion, described in this passage speaks to something that takes time. The Amplified bible describes it a...
Read more