“Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Most of the sermons and lessons that we hear, or read, on giving are about our giving, but we are not asked to give by a God who does not Himself give. I don’t know who it originated with, but I have always heard that you can’t out give God. He is the best giver as our text verse suggests. We are to be givers, but we need to realize that as we are giving we are getting back from God. Why is God the best giver? God is the best giver because His gifts are always good. James wrote that “every good and perfect gift is from above. No gift that we give to God is perfect, but His gifts to us are always perfect. God’s gifts are always genuine and solid. John 3:16 tells us Who God’s greatest gift was: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Jesus was/is a “good and perfect gift.” God also gives us “things,” but His greatest gifts are inward and spiritual. These gifts cannot possibly be evaluated by dollars and cents. We cannot put a price on in the gift of forgiveness for sin. The gift of divine Sonship is priceless; therefore, it does not have a price tag. Knowing that we have an eternal home in heaven is a gift that cannot be bought. In fact, it can only be given by God’s grace. (Which means that we don’t deserve God’s gifts, but we get them anyway– as some say, we get them “in spite of...”) The fact that God’s grace gifts do not have a price tag does not mean that they are cheap. They came to us via the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. We need to remember Psalm 103:2:“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” God is the best giver because His gifts always bring greater purpose into our lives. God does not give His priceless gifts merely for our selfish enjoyment. I don’t mean that we can’t enjoy them, but the greatest enjoyment comes from realizing His great purpose in our lives and in the lives of others. For example, God has provided the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who are true believers. God has also provided the gifts of the Holy Spirit. No one has ever provided a complete and exhaustive list of these gifts. We think of teaching, preaching, encouragement and leadership, to name a few, but the list just goes on and on. God gives us spiritual gifts in order for us to live full lives. God gives us spiritual gifts in order for us to be able to serve Him more effectively. These gifts enable us to serve God according to His will. If you are not aware of the purposeful gifts that God has given to you, now would be a good time evaluate your life and discover those gifts that God has given you. God is the best giver because He is always giving. From Genesis to Revelation, we see God giving and giving and giving. He gave deliverance to Israel. He gave them manna to eat every day while they were in the desert wilderness. He gave Israel Canaan in which to live and serve Him. When we come to the New Testament, we find God giving us His Son as our Savior. As we receive the gifts of God into our lives, He continues to give and give to us in order to enrich our lives. It is a mystery why many people think that if they give their lives to Christ, that it will somehow diminish their lives. Indeed, it will enrich their lives if they will only give it a try. On top of that He gave us each other. Together, we comprise His church. His church provides fellowship for us and serves as a vehicle of our service to Him. God wants to give eternal life to you. He wants to enrich your daily life with His presence, and with the fellowship of His people. For heaven’s sake, let God give you all that He wants to give you. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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