Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him" (Matthew 13:12).
Have you ever thought this seems unfair? Once upon a time, I did. It seems so contrary to biblical instructions such as helping the poor. Of course, the context of the above verse isn't material wealth. This is the parable of the sower, Jesus' teaching about the word of God and how we receive it, about those who see yet don't see, hear yet don't hear, whose hearts are calloused and eyes closed. In other words, they bear much responsibility for their lack of understanding, and it's those calloused hearts and closed eyes that not only keep them from advancing in spiritual knowledge but will eventually stunt and shrivel any rudimentary understanding they did have.
Let's draw a parallel with another scripture passage, Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable, one servant doubles the five talents he's been given, a second servant doubles two talents, and a third hides his one talent in the ground. Because of this, he loses even the one talent he has--and it is given to the man who already has ten! Again Jesus says, as recorded in verse 29, that everyone who has will be given more, and he who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. Note that this passage, unlike the first, does deal with material goods. The principle works here as well. If we don't steward our earthly wealth wisely, we will neither earn nor be entrusted with more, and even what we have will never be enough.
Mindsets matter, and if we consider ourselves the have-nots (spiritually or materially), think like the have-nots, and handle our resources (spiritual or material) like the have-nots, we will have not.
How, then, do we think like the haves? There's a simple way.
Thanksgiving.
When we give thanks, do we not consider ourselves to be those who have?
Therefore, Thanksgiving opens the door to more.
That deduction sparks my heart to rise to the challenge. Though I have always been drawn to the prayer of Thanksgiving, I want to give thanks all the more and see what God will do. Spiritual adventure ahead!
Join me?
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