ThanksLiving: A Thanksgiving Reading PlanSample

ThanksLiving: A Thanksgiving Reading Plan

DAY 1 OF 7

“Hostile dependence”—a phrase from the field of psychology—describes a relationship in which a person must depend on someone else but isn’t happy about it. There’s a tension. Maybe he or she does not like the person or simply the situation, but there is no option but dependence. Atheists feel the problem acutely. They dislike the idea of any dependence on a divine being. They reject the Giver of life. Many Christian workers feel something akin to hostile dependence when they think of fundraising. Though they don’t dislike the donors, they dislike their dependence on them for ministry. Sometimes, spouses, children, employees, and soldiers feel the tension as well.

The opposite of hostile dependence is grateful dependence. Grateful dependence is the essence of thanksgiving, which is especially appropriate in the case of a loving benefactor. Unfortunately, Christians sometimes try to find a middle ground between hostile dependence and grateful dependence, convinced that non-hostility toward God is the same as gratitude. Nothing could be more antithetical to the spirit of thanksgiving. We need to develop thanksgiving into an all-encompassing and active philosophy of living.


Day 2

About this Plan

ThanksLiving: A Thanksgiving Reading Plan

This Thanksgiving season, spend seven days reflecting on your dependence upon the Giver of life and all blessings. Dr. Ramesh Richard, president of RREACH (a Global Proclamation Ministry) and professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, will guide your study and offer pastoral insights on how gratitude should spill over into a way of life. Let’s thank God for all we have and trust Him for all we need.

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