God wants thank you notes too

After our wedding last September, we had lots of presents and cards to open. We were excited about all the gifts, the gift cards and the cash.

Of course, along with that came the thank you notes.

After any kind of party where you receive gifts, the first thing you have to do afterward (well, after cleaning up, that is) is write thank-you notes. Everyone expects them, and it's courteous to show your gratefulness for what you've been given.

Often, when people are very generous in blessing you with something, you want to give part of that back. It probably isn't in the thank you note, but you will often bless them even more the next time you give them a gift.

Everyday though, we receive gifts from God. Yet, how often does he get a gift back or even a thank you?

Just like in our lives on Earth, our spiritual lives should utilize thank you notes much more. The moment you get your pay check, you should thank God for that blessing. When you get a birthday gift, you should thank God as well as the giver. When you get a bonus or win a prize, God should get a thank you first.

Then we should give back to God what he has blessed us with. The Bible calls for God's people to give back 10 percent. What we have was given to us by God, and he has greatly blessed us, so we should also want to give back to God by blessing others that are doing his work.

I often fall into the pattern of thinking that I should tithe because otherwise I won't be blessed. However, that shouldn't be our attitude at all. We should be so filled with gratefulness and love for God that we want to do something for him.

I love to buy things for Nate and surprise him, even if it's just with fruit snacks or Mountain Dew from the grocery store. Even though we physically can't shower God with gifts, even little gifts, we can still shower the church and missionaries who are doing his work with our gifts, which is the same as giving it straight to God.

So next time you see the offering plate being passed, don't just watch it go by. Say thank you to God for all that you have by giving back to him.