In doing research for this sermon series I came across a fascinating article studying the connection between gratitude and altruism. It appears God actually wired people with a neural connection between being thankfulness and generosity. In Mind & Body magazine, Christina Karns writes in detail about the research being done in tracing the mental link between gratitude and altruism (Why a Grateful Brain Is a Giving One) Here's a summary of the article:

"In a sense, gratitude seems to prepare the brain for generosity. Counting blessings is quite different than counting your cash, because gratitude, just as philosophers and psychologists predict, points us toward moral behaviors, reciprocity, and pay-it-forward motivations. Apparently, our brain literally makes us feel richer when others do well. Perhaps this is why researchers have observed that grateful people give more.

Gratitude might be good for us—but it is good for others as well."

As we stop and consider the implications of this research it doesn't take long to see this connection between gratitude and generosity popping up all over the Bible. Probably the one that immediately stood out to me was Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, giving thanks to his Father in Heaven and then proceeding to give himself generously as a sacrifice on the cross. Why should any of this matter to us? It matters because Black Friday and Cyber Monday are often more important to us then being generous. Our culture focuses more on getting and hoarding then generosity. To break this cycle and become generous, all we have to do is look to God and science to see that it starts with developing a grateful heart. On Sunday we will wrap up this series by looking at a specific incident in the book of Exodus where Israel demonstrates this connection between gratitude and generosity. To be a part of the conversation give a listen to part three of Thanks & Giving.