The Gratitude Attitude of Thankful Stewardship
Most Christians feel guilty or ashamed to thank God for the money He has given them. We easily talk about giving thanks and having an attitude of gratitude about spiritual things, physical healings, relationships, and personal accomplishments. We dedicate a day to “Thanksgiving” and give God our gratitude for our food. But do we ever thank God for the money we have in the bank? After all, Christians aren’t supposed to be thankful for everything they have been given? The Apostle Paul says it’s God’s will.
…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB)
Ever hear anyone say, “God, thanks for giving me lots of money! I am grateful for the riches that you entrusted to me. Thank you for the money in my retirement investments and my savings account. Thank you for the ability to pay off my home mortgage and my student loans. Thank you for the insurances that protect our wealth. You are the God who owns it all, and You trust me to be a good steward. Help me to be wisely generous with the money you have provided. You are an awesome God to bless me this way. Thank you!”
Some will say thanking God for money He has given us is falling into the “prosperity gospel” trap. That trap says if we believe in Jesus, we will always be blessed with good health and big wealth for the rest of our lives on earth – and if we are not, then we don’t have enough faith or we are living sinfully. That is NOT what being thankful for money and having a gratitude attitude means.
God Values Gratitude Attitude
Being thankful for money and living with a gratitude attitude means we know the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, so we should be thankful and live with gratitude while we have it! In fact, God tells us giving thanks to Him is better than sacrificial giving.
“If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and everything it contains. Shall I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of male goats? Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.” Psalm 50:12-16 NASB
This passage in Psalm 50 is part of a larger prophesy of the Lord against His people who are going through the motions with their sacrifices to cover their sins, rather than truly repenting and giving thanks to God for His mercy and blessings. If we want to please God, what principles can we learn from this passage?
“…the world is mine…” – God owns everything (and he doesn’t need to eat barbecue)
“…offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving…” – this was a freewill offering above and beyond
“…pay your vows to the Most High…” – do what you say you will do; follow through
“…call upon Me in the day of trouble…” – when you need help, ask!
“…I will rescue you…” – God is faithful to rescue and save
“…you will honor Me.” – God wants to be honored by our gratitude
Why should God bless us and rescue us when we only say “Thank you” one day a year, if then? There is no honor in that. When we do not thank God for the money He generously trusts us with, we shame Him. It’s not about the amount of money we have, it’s that we have any money at all. This is what King David realized when God told him that he would not live to build the Temple to honor God. How did King David respond? He and the people followed Psalm 50.
So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion, LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.
“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to You. For we are strangers before You, and temporary residents, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and everything is Yours. Since I know, my God, that You put the heart to the test and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You. 1 Chronicles 29:10-17 NASB
King David and the people of Israel donated riches out of the abundance that God had blessed them with. More importantly, they thanked God and praised His name. Look at the pattern here:
King David humbled himself and praised God as the owner and ruler of everything
On behalf of the people, King David specifically thanked God with a freewill burnt offering sacrifice (that happened separately the next day as part of a national banquet, see 1 Chronicles 29:21 – similar to Thanksgiving)
Out of gratitude, the people gave above and beyond Kind David’s expectations to the fund the Temple construction and operations
King David admitted to God that the people are pilgrims, temporary residents of this world
Wisely, King David realized that the Temple offering was a faith test, and his stewardship of the offerings was a test of his integrity
When was the last time you thanked God for testing you by providing you money over and above your expectations? In his times of trouble, David called up on the Lord and He answered by re-establishing David as king and passing along the kingdom to his son, Solomon. Would Solomon follow David’s example of gratitude?
Develop Your Gratitude Attitude Daily
That is the question to all of us – will we give thanks to God with a gratitude attitude? Can you do that every day, not only on a national feast day? Here are some ideas to get you started:
Express Your Thanks - thank anyone who serves you every time (and tip more than required)
Stuff a Grateful Jar – write notes when you are thankful to God for something and put them in the jar – pull out the notes and read them at Thanksgiving as an offering to the Lord
Keep a Thanks Journal – write one thing you are thankful for every day
Pray Thankfully - start and end every prayer with a thanks to God
Thank God for the money He entrusts to you as a steward. Practice gratitude and generosity. When you are in trouble, ask God for help. Pass the test of faith. Then enjoy some barbecue!
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