November Gratitude Stone 23 Abundant Life

Rom 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

There are many virtues and character qualities that people aspire to: merciful & compassionate, obedient, patient, possessing of faith that moves mountains, helpful, wise.

Usually, in spite of being trained from the earliest days to say thank you, we never move past the words to the actual heart behind it. But, being thankful really is not optional. Neither is it a secondary character quality. Every other virtue is tied to a thankful heart. It is impossible to worship without it, and trying to love, to give and serve without it minimizes the impact, making it hollow. Gratitude is essential to life running as it should as it is one of the primary ways God infuses joy and resilience.

The key to abundant living is to develop and maintain Christ-centered, grace-motivated gratitude. Abundant life is not about what we have. It’s not about what we get. It’s not about what we claim. Ultimately, abundant life is about what we receive as a gift from the Lord and to live knowing we are stewards of the blessings of God. And then to return thanks for those blessings.Stewardship of God’s grace is not measured by what we have received, but by what we have given.
At the end of the day, perhaps that is how we know we have an abundant life when we have shared our life with others gratefully. When we have experienced God’s salvation and blessings of God and then share them generously, knowing that we are bankrupt on our own; that’s when we truly have abundant life.

I want to live my life to the full! Grateful for your grace to do so!