Gifts of God
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17
This time of year gifts are on our mind. Some of us concentrate on what we’re gonna get, some concentrate on what we can give, and some of us fall into both camps.. I love buying gifts for people. My larger family doesn’t buy gifts for anyone buy my parents, so that doesn’t leave me with many people to buy for. I enjoy thinking about things to give the people I love. Things that will make them happy, things that will make them smile and think of me when they use them. I also enjoy knowing that people think of me. I’m not too worried about what the gift is, or what it costs, I actually enjoy homemade gifts almost above all else. Home-made gifts are special to me because they say that the giver spent time thinking about me and putting effort into making my gift. They mean far more to me than something that someone walked into a store and picked up off a shelf. A few years ago my husband spent time making a firepit for me, It isn’t grandiose and beautfiul, but it’s what I wanted. It’s designed for cooking over, with an adjustable grate and pot hanger. It’s utilitarian in nature and looks it, but it is exactly the kind of thing I’d described to him, and he spent time making sure I got it.
God has gifted us with a very personal gift. the life of his son, sacrificed for our salvation. It is the ultimate unwarranted, undeserved gift. But, it’s exactly what we need, and something that we can be eternally grateful for. That single gift is far more than we deserve. But, God didn’t just leave it there. If He had just given us the gift of a way to get back in a right relationship with Him, it would have been enough. He gave us so much more, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to live inside us, He opened up the portals of heaven and gave us a direct line of communication with Him through His son, who sits at His right hand and advocates for us. He gave us the promise of a place in His kingdom, a home of our own in paradise. He gave us His word with which we can grow to know Him better. He gave us a new family: when we’re adopted into the family of God, we gain so very many incredible brothers and sisters.
The question that has been rolling through my mind these past few weeks is: are we taking full advantage of all of the gifts God offers to us? Or, are we just calling it quits after opening the first one? Did you call it quits after opening your gift of Salvation? Or are you checking out all of the other gifts God has made available? God promises us many many things in His word. We can be assured that He wants only good for us, that He wants us to grow, that He wants us to understand His Word, to enjoy fellowship with His people, to live life and live it more abundantly. I want to take some time in the next few weeks to check out some of the gifts that God has for us and what He promises us when we take advantage of them. Let’s not leave a single gift of love unopened or unused.
