Good Gifts

Cuz you know, Sparkle, that's an elf name. But Nathan the elf? I don't know; I've never heard of Nathan. Yep, that's awesome though!

I don't know about you, but I happen to think, just like the old song says, that this is the most wonderful time of the year. For me, right about the time we hit Labor Day all the way through December, I feel a kind of anticipation and joy that is building. I look forward to this time of year every single year.

It is interesting; I was listening to a group of pastors—three pastors, in fact—on a podcast that I listened to last week. They were talking about the Christmas season and getting ready for preaching around Advent and Christmas. Two of the three pastors on this podcast were saying, "Well, we don't really like to preach at this time of year," because, you know, it's just kind of a redundant thing, a story with the same thing every single year. It's hard to be new and original.

I was thinking I cannot relate to that sentiment whatsoever, probably because I lost the need or the feeling to be original a very long time ago. I realized, just as Solomon said 3,000 years ago, there is nothing new under the sun. Every single time I'm convinced I've found something new and original while studying through the Scriptures, inevitably, I will hear somebody else say the exact same thing or I'll read it in a commentary shortly thereafter.

On top of that, I've come to discover that most of the important things we need to hear and know are not original or new, sort of novel things. But it is, I think, the most wonderful time of the year. What is it that makes it such a wonderful time of the year?

Maybe for some people, it might be decorations or getting together with family. Though for some of you, that might not be why it's the most wonderful. Maybe it's parties. I know in talking with Pastor Marcus, he is convinced that one of the most wonderful things about this time of year is eggnog.

I think it's disgusting. There's a faster mark. How many of you don't like eggnog? Come on, brother and sister. Oh yes, yes, marks are taking names. Okay, fine. Who likes eggnog? My wife can have it all; I don't want any of it.

So maybe it's eggnog. Marcus is convinced there's a government conspiracy to only allow it for three months of the year, and he's very upset about that conspiracy. I know when I lived in Germany, a lot of Germans looked forward to every Christmas for a thing called Lebkuchen, which is a little cookie that is quite good, I'll admit. But they only sell it during the Christmas season.

You know, Starbucks has their Christmas menu that you can only get at Christmas time. If you listen to the podcast, you know that Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have these delightful little Christmas trees that are only available at Christmas time. I have to be very careful with these, though. Mark and I consumed a few of them the other day; it was enjoyable. The video that Pastor Nick cut together really did a great job on that.

You ask any of the kids what their favorite thing about Christmas is, and they're all going to say presents. For a lot of people, the gifts we give and receive at Christmas are one of the things that make this time of year so wonderful. There is joy in giving and receiving gifts, which makes us ask the question: why do we love so much to give and receive gifts?

I think one of the answers to that question is the fact that God, who created us, is a gift-giving God. He loves to give gifts, and since He made us in His image, He has imparted that joy to you and me as well. God loves to give gifts. In fact, there is a verse in the Old Testament that almost says that explicitly. It's in a fascinating story in the Book of Numbers about a guy by the name of Balaam.

Balaam is a really interesting character. He was not a Jewish guy, but he is counted as a prophet in the Old Testament. One of the kings, whose nation was an enemy to the children of Israel, wanted to curse the children of Israel, so he hired this guy Balaam. He was a prophet for hire, so be careful of those guys.

This guy says that what he wants is for Balaam to curse the people of Israel. Balaam rightly responds that he can only do what God tells him to do, but he will try to help out. At one point, he is looking from a mountaintop at the people of Israel in the valley, and it is recorded this way in Numbers chapter 24, verse 1: Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless His people.

Now, for the really technical Bible readers, they might say that this is speaking about the nation of Israel and not about us. While that is technically true, I think that in principle, we can apply that reality to ourselves as well. We are God's people. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are grafted in; you are a part of the family of God. Balaam saw that it blessed God, that it pleased the Lord to bless His people, Israel.

If you need a New Testament reaffirmation of that truth, we find one from Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. You can turn there if you'd like, if you have your Bible. If you don't, you can raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring you one. Turn to about the middle of your Bible and then to the right. Ultimately, the New Testament is about two-thirds of the way through the Bible, starting with Matthew, then Mark, then Luke.

As you turn to Luke chapter 12, let me set the story a little bit. Jesus is teaching in this passage, and He is talking about anxiety and worry. Now, no show of hands, but how many of you have a problem with anxiety and worry? Again, you don't have to raise your hands. We have someone who is honest enough. If you did raise your hand, probably most of us would raise our hands if we are being honest and say we wrestle with anxiety and worry, even though we realize it's not good for us.

Even the Scriptures make it clear, and secular research shows that worry and anxiety are not good for us health-wise. Not only is it not good for us health-wise, but God actually commands us not to worry, which we all break that command really well. In this very passage in Luke chapter 12, Jesus reaffirms that truth that we are not to worry. He gives us a number of reasons why we should not worry.

In the midst of this, He says, "Look down at Luke chapter 12, if you're there, verse 32." Jesus says to His disciples, "Do not fear; do not be afraid, little flock. Why? For it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Another way of saying that is it makes...

Your Father in Heaven is happy to bless you, just like what we saw in Numbers chapter 24, verse 1. It pleased God to bless His people. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you blessings from the kingdom.

These are important truths that we need to know and hold close in our hearts. There are many people who have a misconception about God in Heaven. They picture God as a dour, unhappy being who is just looking for reasons to punish people. They imagine Him as having a button in Heaven that says "smite," which He presses from time to time. However, the Bible reveals God as He truly is. Jesus, in revealing the Father, says that God is our Father, and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom and to bless us. It pleases God; it makes God happy to bless us.

We have this truth given to us by a prophet, an unlikely character in Numbers chapter 24. Jesus Himself drives home this truth in Luke chapter 12. The Apostle Paul, in the book of Ephesians, expresses something similar. If you are in Luke, turn to the right in your Bible. You will make your way through Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans, and then you will come to First and Second Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians.

In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul writes a letter to a church that lived in southwestern Turkey, in a place called Ephesus. It was a very large city at the time. In opening his letter to the church at Ephesus, he writes this: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing." Would you lean over and underline in your neighbor's Bible "every spiritual blessing"? Just put a circle around it.

Our Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. The phrase "in Christ" is used by Paul to describe the Christian. If you are a believer and have put your trust in Jesus, you are in Christ, and you have been given by your Father in Heaven every spiritual blessing.

Spiritual blessing in heavenly places is a significant theme in Scripture. If we skip down to verse 5, we see that among those blessings, God has predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself. Here’s the important part: according to the good pleasure of His will. Your Father in heaven has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places according to His good pleasure. It makes God happy to bless us.

I think that this picture, this revelation of our Father in heaven, is important. It is an important picture for us to hold on to because we can have wrong conceptions and ideas about who God is. In fact, I would suggest that a lot of people you know have a wrong understanding or a misconception about who God is. Therefore, we need the revelation of what Scripture shows us. It pleased the Lord to bless His people. It is the Father’s good will to give you the kingdom, and He has given you every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places according to the good pleasure of His will.

Not only that, but these gifts that God has given to us are also mentioned in James's letter in the New Testament. James chapter 1, verse 17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above; it comes from the Father." Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father.

Point number one on your outline is that every good gift is from our good God. As we are in this season of the year, which is so often centered around the concept of gift-giving, it is important to remember this truth. Of course, as we get closer to Christmas, we will be talking about the greatest gift, which is the gift of Christmas.

During this time of year, centered around the concept of giving and receiving gifts, we need to hold in our hearts and minds that every good gift is from our good God. I hope that you were here last week to hear Pastor Jason’s message. His message was basically the opening to this short series we are doing as we approach Christmas. He talked about the gift of gratitude. If you were not here last week, I highly encourage you to go online and listen to the message. It was a really good message. At the end of the message, Jason discussed the things that sometimes hinder us from being grateful.

Gratitude is essential in our lives. After discussing some of the things that hinder us from being grateful, he provided three ways to counter these hindrances. He said that we need to count our blessings, write our blessings down, and share our gratitude with other people. When we are thankful, we should express that gratitude.

If you were to sit down and count your blessings, taking time to think through the things you are blessed with, you would find every spiritual blessing that God has given to you. Writing those things down is crucial; it allows you to see them on paper. I believe that if we spent even just 10 to 15 minutes privately reflecting and writing down all the things we are thankful for, we would discover a long list of reasons to be grateful. We are very blessed, and there are many things for which we could give thanks.

What we find in James 1:17 is that every single one of those good things on our list comes from our good God. Those blessings are from Him. A few years ago, around this time of year, I read an article discussing gratitude from a secular publication. There has been a lot of research on this issue, and while I don't remember the exact publication, I recall the main point: if we assess our lives, we will find many things to be grateful for.

However, the interesting crux of the article was that, despite having many things to be thankful for, our current culture has lost sight of who we should be thankful to. I think there is a lot of truth in that. We have many reasons to give thanks, but we are not entirely sure to whom we should express that gratitude, especially during holidays like Thanksgiving.

James answers that question for us. He states that every good gift and every perfect gift comes from the Father who delights in giving these things to us. This recognition helps us understand that He is the one to whom we are thankful. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from God. I may be a bit redundant here, but I emphasize this point for a purpose: we need to hold this truth in our hearts.

Minds that God gives good. Yes, we think about the wonderful place that we have to live. If you have a place to live, you are thankful, or should be. If you came here today in a vehicle that you own, your car, you have something to be thankful for. If you have a family to love, you have something to be thankful for. If you have a job to go to or a school to attend, then you have something to be thankful for. Food to eat, clean water, a warm bed, electricity, Amazon Prime—these are all things to appreciate.

Yes, I know. The driver comes to my door six times a day right now; it's just insanity. So, if there's anything good in our lives, those good things ultimately are of God. Every good and perfect gift comes from God.

Now, here's the fascinating thing that you begin to discover as you get to know God and as you study about Him in the Scriptures. You begin to realize that even those things in your life that maybe at this moment you wouldn't write down in the good column—if you were writing out a list and putting all the good things down—there may be some things that you wouldn't necessarily include in the good column at this moment in time.

One of the things you begin to discover as you get to know God is that, just like Paul wrote in Romans chapter eight, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. So, God, in His magnificent power, is able to bring about ultimate good even in the things that we, at the moment, don't always feel are very good.

Just a few days ago, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who goes to the church here. He was sharing with me about this business deal that he has been working on for two full years. He was right at the very end, and the transactions were complete; everything was being finished up. It was taking a little bit longer than anticipated and hoped for, but everything finally came to a close. However, as it did, the person involved in this transaction with my friend took advantage of some of the crooked things going on and shortchanged my friend out of nearly a million dollars in this deal. He is personally losing almost a quarter of a million dollars in this whole deal.

I'm talking with him on the phone, and I just feel broken for this situation. I don't know about you, but that's a lot of money to me. I can't even grasp it. Maybe for some of you, that's no big deal, but losing a quarter of a million dollars is significant. None of us are like, "Yeah, okay."

As I'm on the phone with him, he says to me, "But you know what? I have a lot to be thankful for. God has been so good to me." I went, "Praise the Lord!" That's the pastor remark—like, "Yeah, that's right. You do have a lot to be thankful for." In that moment, I was so blessed by that response. I think God is blessed by that response as well.

That is the response of someone who has come to understand the truths of James 1:17 and Romans 8:28. Every good and perfect gift comes from God, and God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. When we begin to grasp these truths and get to know God as He is revealed in the Scriptures—not our assumptions about God or the pop-cultural views about God, but the way God reveals Himself—it changes our perspective.

As we look at the things that God gives us in our lives or the things that God allows into our lives, this leads us to the next important passage and point in this message. You are in Ephesians chapter 1. Continue turning to the right to another letter written by Paul to Timothy: First Timothy chapter 6. If you turn to the right, you're going to pass Colossians, Philippians, and Thessalonians, and then you get to Timothy.

In First Timothy chapter 6, pick it up at verse 17. Paul is writing to Pastor Timothy, who happened to be the pastor of the church at Ephesus. He says this in First Timothy 6:17: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God." Underline this: "who gives us richly all things to enjoy."

Enjoy! He gives us richly all things to enjoy.

Point number two on your outline: every good gift from God is for our enjoyment. Now, some of you, at this point, in hearing that and writing it down, might be saying to yourself, "Huh, really? Every good gift from God is for our enjoyment?" For those who are questioning this, think about it. The reason we may pause when we consider this is that, for some reason, a kind of stoic monasticism has pervaded American Christian thinking. You can see it in historic Christian writings as well. There is this stoic monasticism that has crept into the thinking of Christians, and many of us seem to believe that the enjoyment of things is somehow a bad thing, as if it's fleshly.

If I enjoy something, it must be my flesh, and I have to die to myself. Therefore, I can't enjoy anything. I have to walk through this life as if everything is okay. I know it's wonderful, but I can't be happy about it. However, every good gift from God is for our enjoyment. He has given us all things richly to enjoy.

We are living in an interesting moment in our cultural history. There is a mindset that, if you peel back the layers of the onion, reveals a perspective stirred by carnality, like greed and jealousy. This mindset suggests that riches are bad. Yet, in this passage, the Bible does have some cautions for those who are rich. We see that in this very passage: "Command those who are rich." We will look at some of those cautions for a moment.

But the end of this verse is fascinating. God gives us richly all things to enjoy. You might be able to make a case for stoicism, 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.

Enjoy those gifts! He wants our enjoyment of the things that He has blessed us with. Now, I do want to look at the commands, the exhortation that Paul gives in 1 Timothy 6:17, because I think they are very important.

First, he says to command those who are rich. There are some in this room right now who are thinking, "Yes, there's a word for the rich people." You might be thinking, "I'm not one of them," but hold on a second. The facts are that you and I are among the most wealthy people in the world. By the very fact that we are sitting here in this room at this moment, we are in the top 1% of all people in this world.

When I talk about the top 1%, you might remember back to 2012 and Occupy Wall Street. That whole thing was hilarious to me because there was a whole bunch of kids who went to NYU at that time, one of the most expensive schools in the nation, costing about $60,000 a year. There they were, camping out, occupying Wall Street, chanting "Down with the 1%," while tweeting this on their thousand-dollar iPhones. They were failing to recognize that they are that 1%. At this moment, if you make annually more than $32,000 a year, you are in the 1% in the world.

So, Paul commands those who are rich in this present time, which would be us. What does he say? He commands them not to be haughty. The word is "high-minded" in the original language. Do not be high-minded. What is high-mindedness? It is to assume or think that you have what you have because you are so great and awesome. The fact is that you and I have what we have, in large part, due to the fact that we live where we live and at the time that we live.

The name Warren Buffett might ring a bell to some of you. He is one of the wealthiest people in the world and the head of an investment firm called Berkshire Hathaway. One share in Berkshire Hathaway costs a quarter of a million dollars. Warren Buffett is a billionaire, and I was actually watching a documentary about him a number of years ago. It was a very good documentary, and he makes the point in it that he is as wealthy as he is due, in large part, to the fact that he won the genetic lottery. He went on to explain that he was born...

In the right place at the right time, that's an honest, humble assessment for Warren Buffett. In a lot of ways, there are probably some negative things people could say about him. I don't know the guy, but from the things I've seen, there are a number of things you have to acknowledge. That's not being high-minded about your wealth. I mean, the guy lives in Nebraska. If I were a billionaire, I'm not choosing Nebraska. I'm sure they have great steaks, but Nebraska? Sorry, I digress.

He says those who are rich should not be haughty, nor should they trust in uncertain riches. This is a good truth. We just finished studying through Job for six weeks, and if Job teaches us anything, it is that we should not trust in uncertain riches. What you have today, you may not have tomorrow. Instead, he says, we should trust in the Living God, the one who has given us these good gifts to enjoy richly. After all, he does say that every good gift from God is for our enjoyment.

We saw in Numbers 24:1 that it pleases God to bless us. In Luke 12:32, it is the Father's good pleasure to give us good gifts. Ephesians 1:3-5 tells us that according to His good pleasure, the good pleasure of His will, God chose to bless us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places.

Why does God do all of this? I think part of the answer to the question of why is found in the words of Jesus. They are not found in the Gospels, but they are quoted by Paul in Acts 20:35, where Paul says, "You should remember how the Lord said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" How many of you have heard those words before? They are familiar to you: it is more blessed to give than to receive. You may not even realize that it's a verse; it's the words that Jesus spoke.

Acts 20:35 states, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." God is pleased to bless us. The Scriptures reveal that there is an inherent blessing in giving gifts. Any of you who have ever given a gift understand that there is an inherent blessing in giving gifts to other people. I want to suggest that this inherent blessing in giving gifts is significant.

To people, the great blessing of giving gifts is the pleasure in seeing the enjoyment of the one who has received the gift. One of the things that compels us to give gifts is to see the joy of the recipient.

Now, imagine for a moment that you worked really hard to figure out, save up, and purchase a special gift for someone you love—maybe your child or your spouse. You put in a lot of effort for this gift, and you are so excited to give it to them. You hand it over, and they open it up, saying, "Oh wow, thanks," and then set it aside. God bless my poor wife, because I have this problem of being somewhat unresponsive sometimes; I have a kind of flat affect. Some people are cursed with this, and I am one of them. She is cursed to be married to a husband like that.

If you find yourself in that situation, having worked so hard to give a gift, and then not seeing the response you expected, it raises a question in your mind about whether you want to bless them with a gift again.

The joy and enjoyment that the recipient of a gift exhibits increases the joy and enjoyment of the person who gave the gift. I believe this is true with God as well. So much so, that point number three on your outline is that our enjoyment of God's gifts makes God happy. This, of course, is not the only reason that God gives us gifts. We will look at some other reasons why God gives us gifts, but I think it is true that when we enjoy the things God has given to us, it increases God's joy and makes Him happy.

Again, there are other reasons why God gives us gifts, but that is at least one of them. To see another one of the reasons, you can turn to First Timothy. Keep turning to the right, and ultimately, you will get to a big book called Hebrews, and then right after that...

James and 1st Peter both discuss gifts from God. Let's look at 1st Peter 4:10. It states, "As each one has received a gift," which applies to all of us. We have all received gifts from God, every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. As each one of us has received gifts from God, we are to minister to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Point number four on your outline is that every good gift from God is given to us to bless others. God has given us gifts for our enjoyment, and our enjoyment of those gifts makes God happy. However, God has also given you and me gifts to bless other people. As each one of you has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Last week, Pastor Jason talked about the gift of gratitude. It may seem strange to think of gratitude as a gift that God gives, but I am absolutely convinced that gratitude is indeed a gift. Every good and perfect thing comes from God as a gift to us, so gratitude is among the gifts that we should enjoy. Our enjoyment of this gift of gratitude increases God's joy, makes God happy, and serves as a blessing to other people.

Let's consider some of the other gifts that God gives to us, but for now, let's focus on gratitude. It is fascinating that secular science is learning what theologians have been saying for centuries: gratitude is a good thing. It is beneficial emotionally for our health and has physical benefits as well. Jason talked about some of these last week. Psychology Today has numerous articles on this topic, and various pop psychology websites also discuss it. There has been peer-reviewed empirical research conducted on the effects of gratitude at the physical, emotional, and societal levels. When you are grateful, it blesses other people.

Now, how many of you have ever worked in retail? How many of you retailers love this time?

The end of the year can be a hard time because there's often a lack of gratitude. However, you've probably seen that when you express gratitude to someone, it lifts their countenance and blesses others. Gratitude is a gift that God has given us for our emotional health, spiritual health, and physical health. It brings us joy and is an important key to a happy life. As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, we should be grateful and express our gratitude.

Of course, gratitude is not the only gift that God has given us to minister to others. There are many different gifts that God has given to you and to me that we can enjoy using. We can bring God joy by using these gifts, and we can bless others through them. Every good gift God has given to you is for your enjoyment, and as you enjoy it, the enjoyment of God increases to His praise, becoming a blessing to other people.

This is true for gratitude and for the other gifts and talents that God has given to all of us. For instance, consider the gift of hospitality. Some of you have this gift, and as you use it, you enjoy blessing others when they come into your space or home. For some people, the thought of having someone over makes them anxious; they do not have the gift of hospitality. However, they likely appreciate those who do have this gift and enjoy visiting their homes during Thanksgiving or Christmas.

For those who possess the gift of hospitality, using that gift increases your joy, which in turn makes God happy and blesses other people. This principle also applies to music and singing. Some of you may have the gift of singing, and as you use that gift, your joy increases, God is praised, and others are blessed. There are countless opportunities to share these gifts with the world.

For you to use that gift of music and singing, there are so many different gifts like this. If you will use that gift, your joy will increase, God will be praised, and other people will be blessed. But you have to use that gift.

Playing music, singing, photography, woodworking, serving other people, teaching, hospitality— the list is very long of different things that God has gifted you with. Some people say, "Well, I'm not really sure what my gifts are. I don't know if I have any gifts." I would suggest to you one easy way to find out what those gifts are: What are the things that make you thoroughly happy? What are the things that, when you do them, you have great joy? Maybe it's baking; I don't know. It could be so many different things.

The fact that you are made thoroughly happy by those activities is an indication that God gave you that gift to enjoy. When you use that gift for Him, His joy increases. You are praising God and blessing other people. That is exactly why God gave you the gift in the first place: to use the gift for His glory. He has blessed you to be a blessing.

This is exactly the very thing that God said to the first follower of God by faith. His name was Abraham. In Genesis chapter 12, verse 2, God said, "I'm going to bless you, and you shall be a blessing." I'm going to bless you, and it's your job to bless others. That's your response to my blessing.

So how are you responding with the blessings God has given to you and the gifts that He has blessed you with? Music, singing, giving, faith, serving, praying, teaching, hospitality, photography, videography, technology—whatever it may be. What is the thing that makes you thoroughly happy? Do that as unto the Lord and praise Him to bless other people as a good steward of the manifold grace of God. You will be fulfilling the purpose for which God created you and blessed you.

Every good and perfect gift comes from God. It's for your enjoyment, for God's praise, for joy in God, and for blessing others. Paul wrote that verse we looked at a moment ago in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 17: "Command those who are rich that they not be haughty or trust in uncertain riches but in the living God."

Who gives us all things richly to enjoy? Immediately, he follows that up with this: let them—who's the "them"? Those people who have been richly blessed by God with gifts. Let them do good. Let them use their gifts to do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share. So, be ready to use the gifts that God has given to you.

Then, what's the result? In 1 Timothy, chapter 6, verse 19, we read about storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. What does Paul indicate there? As you who have been richly blessed by God, use the gifts that God has richly blessed you with to bless other people. In sharing those things, you will have an eternal reward as well.

Now, on the flip side of this, there's a very striking story told by Jesus called the Parable of the Talents. In this parable, he talks about a person who squandered the gift, and there was a level of punishment for that. But that's for another time; we're not going to get into that now. Don't be Scrooge, basically—that's the point. He has richly blessed you and gifted you to share those gifts with other people.

One final passage, one final point, and we'll be done. Would you go back to Ephesians, chapter 1, with me for a moment? We'll wrap this up. In Ephesians 1, we read in verse 3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places."

Verse 5 states that He has predestinated us as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. God chose to do this because it makes Him happy to do it. Verse 6 speaks to the praise of the glory of His grace. He has blessed you; He’s chosen to give you gifts because it makes Him happy and to the praise of the glory of His grace.

Point number five: every good gift, when used to bless others, brings glory to God. When people see our good works from the richness of the gifts that God has blessed us with, it reflects His glory.

They will glorify our Father in heaven. This is what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5, verse 16: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

So, church, listen. God has gifted you. He has gifted you with all kinds of gifts. How do you know what those gifts are? They are the things that thoroughly bring you joy when you practice them. He gave you these gifts so that you would enjoy them. When you enjoy them and utilize the gift that God has given to you, you make God happy. You bless other people, and in blessing other people with that gift, you bring glory to God. The chief end of man is the glorification of God. That's the good news about the gifts of God.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

God, thank you for every spiritual blessing that you've given to us. They are not just spiritual blessings; they are tangible, practical blessings—gifts, talents, and abilities that you've given to us. You gave them to us for our use. In using them, we are richly enjoying the blessings, and you are praised while others are blessed.

God, I pray that this holiday season, as we celebrate the greatest gift—which we will be thinking about in the next couple of weeks—you would motivate us to use the gifts that you have given to us for your glory, for the blessing of other people, and for our enjoyment.

God, I pray that as we come into a new year, 2024, you would give us a fresh vision, a fresh 2020 vision, to see how you want to use our gifts in the new year. In that, our joy will increase, others will be blessed, and you will be praised.

God, do a greater work, we pray. We ask this today in Jesus' name. Amen.