Ordinary Time

Pause

Satisfied

Thriving

Filled Full

Abundant

Goodness

Pure Joy

More Than Enough

You Won’t Lack a Thing

These words, pulled from our readings for this week, describe life as God intended. A life overflowing with all the good things God longs to give us.

This week of Thanksgiving, let’s open our eyes to notice what God has given us, open our hands to receive God’s blessing, open our hearts to receive God’s love, and open our arms to share God’s abundance with others.

Listen

Don’t think to yourself, My own strength and abilities have produced all this prosperity for me. Remember the Lord your God! He’s the one who gives you the strength to be prosperous in order to establish the covenant he made with your ancestors—and that’s how things stand right now.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Think

Notice the covenant mentioned at the end of this passage? Remember, God created the world the way God intended it to be, but through sin and shame, humanity was separated from God. As history progressed, humanity devolved into chaos. So God decided to show the world a new way to live and be through a people, chosen by God, set apart, and named Israel. God made a covenant with them… if they loved and walked with God, the world would see the “satisfied, thriving, filled full, abundant, good, joyful, more than enough, not lacking a thing” life God intended.

But the people often forgot. We see the pattern throughout the history of the Old Testament. When God’s people walked with God, God prospered them. And when they forgot God and focused on themselves, things went badly for them. God reminds them of the covenant here, that the prosperity they enjoy comes from God and has a greater purpose than their own self-satisfaction.

Does my life show the world what it looks like to love and walk with God?

Ann Whitfield Carter

Pray

God, remind me that everything I have comes from you. Show me how to live my life so that others will see the abundant life that comes from loving and walking with you. Amen.

Go

Notice all you have been given and thank the Giver.

Notice God at work and thank the Giver.

Notice God beside you and thank the Giver.

Notice God inside you and thank the Giver.

Notice God in others and thank the Giver.

Notice God in nature and thank the Giver.

Notice the need around you, open your arms to share, and thank the Giver.

Notice.

Just look around where you are right now.

And thank the Giver.