God's Gifts
READ: James 1:16-24
Everyone loves Christmas. It’s a time for joy, it’s a time to be thankful, and it’s a time for presents. No one can wait to open all the gifts that have been sitting under that tree for weeks. What happens, however, when you did not get what you wanted? What do you do with it? Does it become an addition to your collection of gifts you received from relatives, and you had to keep them because it was polite?
God’s gifts are not like that. He never gives you anything that is useless. He is perfect: therefore, what He gives you will be perfect. In James 1:17, He says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights.” Every one of His gifts is what makes us who we are. Whether it is being a beautiful person on the outside, or a beautiful person on the inside, we are that way because of the perfect gifts that were given by God. The best of all God’s gifts is the gift of perfection in His eyes through Jesus’ perfect, sinless life and innocent death.
So, next time at Christmas, your birthday, or whenever you get gifts, remember that those gifts are not perfect. Only God’s presents are.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: What things do you ask God for? Does He give them to you right away? Why is it good that God’s gifts are perfect?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Praise Him for all your blessings. Ask Him to give you strength when you do not get exactly what you want. Thank Him for always giving you whatever you need.