Good Gifts

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ... having predestinated 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... (Ephesians 1:3, 5–6)

God is a gift-giving God—and the good gifts He pours out are meant for our joy, His glory, and the blessing of others.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I happen to think, just like the old song says, that this is the most wonderful time of the year. Right about the time we hit Labor Day all the way through December, I feel an anticipation and joy building. Interestingly, I was listening to a podcast of three pastors talking about preaching at Christmas, and two of them said they don't really like to preach this time of year because the story feels redundant—hard to be new and original.

I cannot relate to that sentiment, probably because I lost the need to be original a long time ago. Just as Solomon said 3,000 years ago, there is nothing new under the sun. Every time I'm convinced I've found something new, I'll soon hear someone else say the same thing or read it in a commentary. Most of the important things we need to hear and know are not novel things.

What makes this season so wonderful? For some it's decorations, family, parties. Pastor Marcus is convinced one of the best things is eggnog—which I think is disgusting; he's convinced there's a government conspiracy to allow it only three months a year. In Germany they look forward to Lebkuchen cookies; Starbucks has its Christmas menu; Reese's makes those peanut butter Christmas trees. But ask any kid what's their favorite thing about Christmas and they'll all say the same thing: presents.

God Is a Gift-Giving God

The gifts of Christmas are one of the things that make this time of year so wonderful. There's joy in giving and receiving gifts. Why do we love it so much? I think one answer is 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 us.

There's a verse in the Old Testament that almost says this explicitly, in a fascinating story in Numbers about Balaam—a prophet for hire, not a Jewish man, but counted as a prophet. A king who was Israel's enemy hired Balaam to curse Israel. Looking from a mountaintop at the people in the valley, it's recorded this way:

Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless His people. (Numbers 24:1)

The technical reader will say that speaks of the nation of Israel, not us—and that's technically true. But in principle we can apply it. If you're a follower of Jesus, you are grafted in; you are part of the family of God. It pleased the Lord to bless His people.

Your Father's Good Pleasure

For a New Testament reaffirmation, look to Luke 12, where Jesus is teaching about anxiety and worry. If we're honest, most of us wrestle with worry, even though Scripture—and even secular research—tells us it's not good for us. God commands us not to worry, and we break that command very well. In the midst of His reasons not to worry, Jesus says:

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

Another way of saying that: it makes your Father in heaven happy to bless you. These are truths we need to hold close, because many people have a misconception of God—as if He's up there dour and unhappy, with a "smite" button, looking for things to make bad. But the Bible reveals God as He truly is. Jesus reveals the Father, and it is His good pleasure to bless us.

Paul says something similar in Ephesians 1:3. God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ." Those words in Christ describe the Christian. And in verse 5, He "predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." It makes God happy to bless us.

Every Good Gift Is from Our Good God

These gifts come from God. James writes:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father... (James 1:17)

Point number one: every good gift is from our good God. As we're in a season so centered around giving and receiving gifts—and we'll soon be talking about the greatest gift, the gift of Christmas—this is an important truth to hold.

Last week Pastor Jason taught on the gift of gratitude. If you missed it, go online and listen. At the end he gave three ways to counter the things that hinder gratitude: count your blessings, write them down, and share your gratitude with others. If you spent even ten or fifteen minutes thinking through and writing down all you're blessed with, you'd find you have a long list—and every single one of those good things comes from our good God.

A few years ago I read an article from a secular publication on gratitude. The crux of it was that we have much to be grateful for, but in our culture we've lost sight of who we should be thankful to. James answers that question: every good and perfect gift comes from the Father, who delights to give. A place to live, a vehicle, a family to love, a job or school, food, clean water, a warm bed, electricity—even Amazon Prime, whose driver comes to my door six times a day right now. If there's anything good in our lives, those good things are ultimately of God.

Even the Hard Things Work for Good

As you get to know God in the Scriptures, you begin to realize that even the things you wouldn't put in the "good" column right now can be made good. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. In His power He brings ultimate good even out of what doesn't feel good at the moment.

Just a few days ago a friend from the church told me about a business deal he'd worked on for two full years. Right at the close, the other party did some crooked things and shortchanged him out of nearly a million dollars—he personally lost almost a quarter of a million in the deal. I was broken for him. But on the phone he said to me, "You know what, I've got a lot to be thankful for. God's been so good to me." I said, "Praise the Lord—amen, you do." That is the response of someone who has come to understand James 1:17 and Romans 8:28. When we get to know God as He has revealed Himself—not our assumptions, not pop-cultural views—it changes our perspective on everything He gives or allows into our lives.

Every Good Gift Is for Our Enjoyment

Continue to Paul's letter to Timothy, who pastored that very church at Ephesus:

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. (1 Timothy 6:17)

Point number two: every good gift from God is for our enjoyment. Some of you pause at that, because a kind of stoic monasticism has crept into American Christian thinking. We seem to think enjoyment is somehow fleshly—that I have to die to myself and walk through life unable to be happy about anything. But every good gift from God is for our enjoyment. He has given us all things richly to enjoy.

Notice the cautions Paul gives the rich. And yes, that means us—by the very fact that we're sitting here, we are among the wealthiest people in the world, the top 1%. Remember Occupy Wall Street in 2012? Kids at NYU, one of the most expensive schools in the nation, camping out against "the 1%" while tweeting from their thousand-dollar iPhones—failing to recognize that they were the 1%. If you make more than about $32,000 a year, you are the 1% in the world.

So Paul says the rich should not be haughty—high-minded, assuming they have what they have because they're so great. The truth is, much of what we have is because of where and when we live. Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest people in the world, said in a documentary that he is as wealthy as he is largely because he "won the genetic lottery"—born in the right place at the right time. That's an honest, humble assessment.

Neither should the rich trust in uncertain riches. We just finished six weeks in Job, and if Job teaches us anything, it's that we should not trust in uncertain riches—what you have today you may not have tomorrow. Instead, trust in the living God, who gives us these good gifts richly to enjoy.

Our Enjoyment Makes God Happy

Why does God do all this? Part of the answer is found in words of Jesus quoted by Paul:

...remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)

There is an inherent blessing in giving gifts. Anyone who has given a gift understands it. And the great blessing in giving is the pleasure of seeing the enjoyment of the one who received it. That's part of what compels us to give.

Imagine you worked hard to find, save for, and purchase a special gift for someone you love. You give it, they open it, and they go, "Oh, thanks," and set it aside. (God bless my poor wife—I'm cursed with a flat effect to things, so she's the one married to a husband like that.) When you don't see the response you hoped for, it raises a question about whether you'll bless them with a gift again. The joy the recipient shows increases the joy of the giver.

Point number three: our enjoyment of God's gifts makes God happy. This isn't the only reason God gives—but when we enjoy what He has given us, it increases His joy.

Every Good Gift Is Given to Bless Others

Peter also speaks of gifts:

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

Point number four: every good gift from God is given to us to bless others. We've all received gifts; we're to minister them to one another.

Take gratitude. It may seem strange to call gratitude a gift, but every good and perfect thing comes from God, so gratitude is among His gifts—one we should enjoy, one that increases God's joy, and one that blesses others. Secular science is now learning what theologians have said for centuries: gratitude is good for us emotionally, physically, and socially. Peer-reviewed research confirms it. Anyone who has worked retail knows that when you express gratitude to someone, it lifts their countenance and blesses them.

But gratitude isn't the only gift. There's the gift of hospitality—and you can tell who doesn't have it, because the thought of people coming over makes them cringe. But even they love going to the home of someone who does have it. There's music and singing; there's photography, woodworking, serving, teaching. The list is long. As you use whatever gift God has given you, your joy increases, God is praised and pleased, and others are blessed.

How do you find your gifts? Ask what makes you thoroughly happy—what brings you great joy when you do it. The fact that something makes you thoroughly happy is an indication that God gave it to you to enjoy. When you use it for Him, His joy increases, He is praised, and others are blessed. That's exactly why He gave it. He has blessed you to be a blessing—just as He told Abraham in Genesis 12:2: "I will bless you... and you shall be a blessing."

So how are you responding with the blessings and gifts God has given you—music, singing, giving, faith, serving, praying, teaching, hospitality, photography, videography, technology? Whatever makes you thoroughly happy, do it as unto the Lord, to His praise, to bless others as a good steward of the manifold grace of God, and you will fulfill the purpose for which God created and blessed you.

Paul follows his command to the rich with this: let them "do good, that they 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" (1 Timothy 6:18–19). As you use your gifts to bless others, you will have an eternal reward as well. On the flip side, Jesus' parable of the talents tells of a man who squandered his gift and was punished—but we won't go there at Christmas. Don't be Scrooge.

Every Good Gift Brings Glory to God

Return to Ephesians 1. God blessed us with every spiritual blessing (verse 3), predestined us to adoption according to the good pleasure of His will (verse 5)—and then, verse 6, "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 flowing from the richness of God's gifts, they glorify our Father in heaven. This is exactly what Jesus taught:

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

So, church, listen: God has gifted you with all kinds of gifts. How do you know what they are? They're the things that thoroughly bring you joy when you practice them. He gave them so you would enjoy them—and when you do, you make God happy, you bless others, and in blessing others you bring glory to God. The chief end of man is the glorification of God. That is the good news about the gifts of God.

Closing Prayer

God, thank You for every spiritual blessing You've given to us—and not just spiritual blessings, but tangible, practical gifts and talents and abilities You've given us for our use. In using them we richly enjoy Your blessings, You are praised, and others are blessed. I pray that this holiday season, as we celebrate the greatest gift over the next couple of weeks, You would motivate us to use the gifts You've given for Your glory, for the blessing of others, and for our enjoyment. As we come into a new year, give us fresh vision to see how You want to use our gifts, so that our joy will increase, others will be blessed, and You will be praised. Do a greater work, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, Amen.