The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
(1 Timothy 1:14 NIV)
A Sunday school teacher once held up a shiny watch and told his class that whoever came forward and claimed it could have it. All the boys just sat there looking on, suspecting a trick, until a small boy came forward and claimed the watch. Then the others said it wasn’t fair because they didn’t think the teacher was serious. God always gives us many blessings freely and abundantly, which are ours for the taking.
Christ wants to give us the blessing of abundant life, but we must reach out in faith and accept it. If we believe, we will receive God’s blessings until our cups run over. It is His pleasure to give us this abundance. Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
We must have a spiritual mind to recognize many of God’s abundant blessings. Included in His abundant blessings are “the cup of salvation” and “the death of His saints” which leads to eternal glory in Heaven. We should be “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20 NIV).
Thankfulness is a choice we make by recognizing God’s lavish generosity and our unworthiness of the many blessings we receive. The depth of our gratitude shows how conscious we are of God’s abundant blessings.
God has many good gifts to offer us, however, we grieve Him when we hesitate to accept them. In Luke 12:32, Christ said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” The kingdom of God is not about earning and deserving, but about believing and receiving.