Talk It Over

Live Generous: Grateful

11/19/23 – (Click Here For PDF)

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. 1 Thes 5:16-18

INTRODUCTION

Gratitude has a way of shifting our perspective in just about every aspect of life. God, the creator of all things, has given us everything we have, even our breath. We tend to be negligent of giving thanks to God when things are going well but we have a really hard time giving Him thanks when things turn bad. But the bible teaches us that even in the hard times there are things to thank God for. When we forget about the abundance of goodness and grace from God, we tend to limit our beliefs. It holds us back from God doing more than we could imagine in our lives. This is most evident in our generosity.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. We often tend to take what God has given us for granted and forget to thank Him. It’s kind of like teenagers with their parents.Do you think God loves to hear our thanks just like parents would love to hear thanks from their teenagers? List five things, you can thank God for. (Could include material things, special God given talents and spiritual gifts
2. In hard times, it’s difficult to be thankful.Can you name some examples of things that people could be thankful for when enduring hard times? How can thankfulness in hard times ease the pain?
3. Pastor Brandon shared that “God is not impressed by the amount; God is moved by the sacrifice”. What does it mean to give sacrificially? Have you ever given a gift not knowing where the money would come from?
4. Generosity is not a sometimes thing. It takes planning; people prayerfully pre-decide ahead of time what they decide to give. Many follow the principle of 1) Give First. 2) Save Second. 3) Live on the Rest. What are some ways you can develop a financial plan that comes from your heart? How do you begin giving when you believe you can least afford it?
5. When we are generous, we invest in the only thing that is eternal on this earth, the church. And the church is made up of people.

Why does investing in God’s Kingdom and people have better returns than any stock or savings account?