Good Gifts | Sunday, December 4, 2022

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

God delights to give good gifts—and those gifts are meant for our joy, His glory, and the blessing of others.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I don't know how you feel about this time of year, but I think, as the old song says, it's the most wonderful time of the year. From Labor Day on, my joy and anticipation build right through December. I've had conversations with other pastors who preach through the Scriptures every year and tell me they don't really like preaching during the Christmas season because they feel redundant—it's hard to be original when you cover the same content every Christmas.

I can't relate to that sentiment at all, probably because I lost the sense that I needed to be original a long time ago. Every time I thought I'd found something entirely new in Scripture, it didn't take long to discover someone had taught or written the same thing before. As Ecclesiastes says, there is nothing new under the sun.

But there's another reason I don't feel the need to be original at Christmas: the most important things we need to know are rarely novel or new. Many times we need to hear the same thing over and over again. That's why when we partake of communion here regularly, we share the same passages about the bread and the cup and what they represent. For example, that same old saying is still true: Jesus is the reason for the season. Christmas is all about Jesus, and I hope that never ceases to be the primary thing we associate with this wonderful time of year.

The Things That Make It Wonderful

What makes this time of year so wonderful? There are the gatherings with friends and family, the parties, the decorations. My family put up Christmas lights before Thanksgiving this year—I know you're apparently not supposed to do that, but we were heading out on a family vacation the day after Thanksgiving, so we had to break protocol. Everyone in our household gets excited bringing out the trees, the ornaments we've collected over the years. It's joyful and a lot of fun.

It's also enjoyable because of the things you can only get this time of year. Some of our staff would say eggnog—though I don't like eggnog at all. If you come from a German background, maybe it's lebkuchen cookies. I've been getting my favorite caramel brulee latte from Starbucks, although it's become way too expensive. And one of my favorites is the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Christmas tree—the perfect ratio of chocolate to peanut butter. There's something about these that's just amazing. I'm sure you have things you love only during this time of year too.

God Loves to Give Gifts

If you ask any child, one of the things that makes this holiday so wonderful is the gifts. We love to receive gifts, and we love to give gifts—sometimes even more. Jesus taught, recorded in Acts 20, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Why do we love to give and receive gifts? One answer is that God, who made us in His image and likeness, loves to give gifts.

The Scriptures make this very clear. In the Old Testament, nestled in an interesting story about Israel, is a fascinating character named Balaam. In Numbers 24:1 it says that Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless His people Israel. Now, you may be a technical reader and say that's about Israel, not the church—and technically you'd be right. But I see no reason not to apply this as a general principle to us as well.

For those who insist it's only about Israel, let me give you a New Testament reaffirmation from Jesus. Every one of us can find ourselves worried and anxious, even though we know we shouldn't be, even though medical science says worry isn't healthy, even though the Bible commands us not to worry. In Luke 12 Jesus gives us a teaching on worry, and in verse 32 He says: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." What we learn is that it makes our Father in heaven happy to give to His children.

We find the same idea from Paul in Ephesians 1: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ." And at the end of verse 5, "according to the good pleasure of His will." We see it in Numbers, in Luke 12 from Jesus, and from Paul in Ephesians—it pleases our Father in heaven to bless us and give us good gifts. And as James 1:17 reminds us, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. He is the source of every good gift.

Counting Our Blessings

Since we celebrated Thanksgiving less than two weeks ago, I've been spending personal time in the Scriptures thinking about how God has blessed me. It is good to count our blessings. It can be helpful to write them down—take ten minutes tomorrow morning and make a list of everything God has gifted you with. It's even good to share our gratitude with others. When we write those blessings down, count them, and share them, it increases our joy—and often increases the joy of others as well. If you do this, you'll find very quickly that you have a lot to be grateful for.

I read an article on Thanksgiving a few years ago. Its basic point was that gratitude is an important and necessary component of a happy life, but more and more people in our culture don't know who they should be thankful to. We live in one of the most blessed societies in the world, and yet many don't know who to thank. James clears this up: every good and perfect gift is from God.

So what has God blessed you with? A place to live, a car, a family to love, a job or school, food, clean water, a warm bed, electricity? Maybe even more than the basics—Amazon Prime, the device you're watching this on. If there's anything good in your life, ultimately those things are from God.

One amazing thing about being a child of God is that, over time, you discover that even the challenging and difficult things—things you wouldn't put in the "good" column when you're going through them—you can be thankful to God for. Why? Because, as Paul wrote to Rome, all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Even the difficult things God can use to bring about good.

Every Spiritual Blessing

I've been talking mostly about tangible, physical things, but there are even greater gifts. In Ephesians 1, Paul says God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Going through that passage, I quickly underlined at least six things: He chose us in Christ. He predestined us to adoption into His family, so that we are His children, not merely servants. He has made us accepted in Christ. In Him we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins. He has poured out His grace upon us. And in the future He will give us the fullness of His kingdom when He gathers us together in paradise forever.

When you recognize the truth of James 1:17—that every good gift is from God—and you count both your spiritual and practical blessings, you begin to change your perspective, realizing that everything God gives or allows He ultimately uses for our good in this life and in bringing us into the next.

All Things Richly to Enjoy

This leads us to 1 Timothy 6:17, where Paul writes: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." Every good gift from God is for our enjoyment.

For some people, that point causes a pause, because there's a kind of stoic monasticism that pervades American Christian thinking. Many seem to think that enjoyment of what we have is somehow a bad thing, something of the flesh. You might make a case for that, but I think you can make a much better case that God, who is pleased to give us good gifts, desires us to enjoy them.

But let's not skip the other important teachings here. Paul tells us who are rich—and that's every one of us watching this on a TV, tablet, or phone—not to be haughty or high-minded or proud, as if we have what we have because we deserve it. We just happen to be born in a blessed culture of abundance, so we shouldn't be boastful. Nor should we trust in uncertain riches; just because you have it today doesn't mean you'll have it tomorrow. A great example is the book of Job, which reminds us not to trust in uncertain riches. Instead, our trust must be in God, who gives us good gifts richly to enjoy.

Why It Pleases God to Give

After all of that, I believe it is absolutely true that every good gift from God is for our enjoyment. Why does it please God to do this? The answer aligns with Jesus' teaching quoted by Paul in Acts 20:35: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." There is an inherent blessing in giving gifts, and anyone who has given a gift knows this. The great blessing of giving is the pleasure of seeing the enjoyment of the recipient.

Imagine you worked really hard to get a gift for someone you love—maybe your child—and they open it, casually glance at it, say "Oh, thanks," and then do nothing with it. How happy would you be? Would you want to give that person another gift? You probably wouldn't.

This is a real challenge for my wife, because she has to put up with me—I can sometimes have a flat affect. More than any other activity, she loves to bless others and give good gifts, and she gets such joy seeing others' joy increase. So if their joy doesn't increase, she wonders why she's doing it. The joy a recipient exhibits increases our joy when we give. In a sense there's even a selfish motivation in giving gifts, and God seems okay with that—that's why Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. He doesn't chastise people for the joy of giving. So our enjoyment of God's gifts makes God happy.

Gifts to Bless Others

But our enjoyment and God's joy are not the only reasons He blesses us. Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:10: "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Every good gift from God is given to us to bless others.

I mentioned that gratitude is a gift from God. Gratitude is a good thing, and every good thing is from God. He gave us gratitude for our good and to bless others. Even non-Christian, secular research continues to prove what theologians have taught for centuries: gratitude is a key to a happy life. If you want to be happier, use the gift of gratitude to express thanks to God and others, and you'll be happier. Gratitude is also a form of praise—when you express gratitude to God, you praise Him for His goodness. And God gave it to us so we could turn around and give it to others as good stewards of His manifold grace.

Gratitude is not the only gift, but it's certainly one we should share. Every good gift God has given you is for your enjoyment; your enjoyment of it praises God and makes Him happy; and His gifts are maximally perfected when we use them to bless others.

Using the Gifts God Has Given You

What does this look like? Maybe your gift is playing an instrument, hospitality, or finances. When you use a gift from God, it increases your joy, brings praise to the One who gave it, and blesses others. For example, God gave me the gift of understanding the Scriptures and teaching and preaching them. As I use that gift, I experience joy and share it with others. Why do I study, teach, and preach? Because it's a gift God gave me, and it brings me joy—and an added major plus is that it brings other people joy and glorifies God.

Do you realize that every one of you is gifted by God? Your joy and happiness would actually increase if you began using the gift God has blessed you with to bless others. If you're not fully happy, it may be that you're not using your gifts properly to praise Him and bless others. I can promise you'd be happier if you did. Just as Abraham, the father of faith, was blessed to be a blessing—Genesis 12:2: "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing"—we are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.

If you're not using the gifts God has given you, you're not fulfilling the purpose He gave them for, and you won't be as joyful as you could be until you step out and use them. Some of you have a gift you're not using. I don't know what it is—maybe music, singing, giving, faith, serving, praying, teaching, hospitality, photography, videography, technology—but it has been given to you by God for your enjoyment, and when you use it, it's a form of praise to God and a blessing to others.

Paul follows 1 Timothy 6:17 with these words in verse 18: "Let them do good, that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." God has richly gifted each of us, so share the riches of your gifts with others—and in doing so you will be rewarded in eternity.

To the Praise of His Glory

One final passage. In Ephesians 1:3–6 Paul says God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places... having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." Every good gift, when used to bless others, brings glory to God. When people see your good works according to His grace and gifting, and see you giving glory to God by using your gifts, that glorifies the One who gave them—your Father in heaven.

The gifts God has given you are to be enjoyed. When you enjoy them, you bring praise to God and make Him happy. When you use them to praise God, you also bless others. And when you bless others with them, you glorify God before all people. These are important things to think about as we get ready to celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts. God has blessed you so that you would enjoy those blessings, bring glory to Him, bless others, and glorify Him among all people. So express joy by using those gifts for the glory of God.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I pray as we get ready for this holiday season—it goes by so quickly—that in one sense You would slow it down so we can rejoice in all the wonderful things this season reminds us about. It reminds us that You are the gift-giving God, who has blessed us with exceedingly precious promises and grace that extends into eternity, where the riches of Your grace will be revealed to us more fully. Lord, I pray that we would rejoice in and enjoy the great things You've blessed us with, for Your glory, and that those things would draw other people to You, that they would know You also. For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.