THE ORIGIN OF GOOD GIFTS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created.”

James 1:16-18

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Who doesn’t like to receive a gift, or even better, gifts?

Everyone, right?

I mean, it’s a pleasure we are conditioned to enjoy from our very youngest years.

At our birthday, yes there is cake but it’s not what a person looks forward to the most. For that honor always goes to the birthday presents.

And then there is Christmas and the painstaking efforts people go through to find just the right gift for someone. To help facilitate this, and to further emphasize how much we love gifts, people will actually make a list of things they would like to receive.

Why?

Because no one likes to be in the situation where they get a gift that they either don’t like or can’t use. In the world of gift giving and receiving, that’s always the worst case scenario, one that is avoided at all costs.

Considering this, what if I told you that there was a source where you would only receive good gifts, good gifts you have already experienced, even if you didn’t give full credit and thanks to the giver (or in this case, Giver with a capital “G”)?

As we look at our verses from today and our continuing study of the Epistle of James, chapter 1, we find the word of the God telling us that He, God, is the One who is the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

And just in case someone might tell you this isn’t true, note that the scriptures are telling us to not believe it, to not be deceived. God and God alone gives us every good and perfect gift from above and unlike other givers, the Lord doesn’t change. He not only gives perfectly but He also does so with perfect consistency.

When does this perfect and consistent giving begin?

Again, the answer is found in our passage for today.

It’s from the very beginning.

We rarely think about our birth as a gift but think about it. How would we be able to receive anything from anyone if we weren’t given life first?

Gifts can also be seen as blessings and I remember my mother always telling me that I should count my blessings and when I finished, I should start counting again. As I have grown older, I have realized more and more the depth of wisdom in her words for the Lord blesses us in so many ways that we too often take His gifts for granted.

We need to look at our birth and give thanks for that gift, not just on our birthday but every day. From that day that we emerge from our mother’s womb on, our hearts begin to beat and our lungs breathe in oxygen. We should give thanks for both because they are gifts from God, the One who fashioned our bodies and the very Creation environment we live in. And we could go on and on and on. Sometimes the good and perfect gifts from God are not of the kind that can be wrapped up and delivered that way.

So in sum, we all love to receive gifts and we all have a Giver in God who provides every good and perfect gift from above. I encourage you to take the advice of my mom like I did and count your blessings over and over again, giving thanks while remembering that the gifts of God come to us in many ways, over and over and over again.   

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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