Every good gift
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).
I remember being asked to take a Sunday School prize giving in Bradford, Yorkshire. When we arrived, at the front of the hall was a table full of brightly coloured books. These were prizes for the children. It was a typical Sunday School prize giving. We sang, had a quiz, read from the Bible, and classes from the Sunday School did different things. Then it was my turn to speak to the youngsters before handing out their prizes. I walked to the front of the hall carrying a box covered with a cloth, placed it on a spare table, and introduced myself to everyone. I could see they all wanted to know what was in the box. I told them I had brought a friend and asked them if they would like to meet him. They all said, “Yes”. So I uncovered the box and opened it and took out a beautiful young Polish pure white rabbit which they immediately fell in love with. I said they could meet him close up later, but I had a question for them first. I asked them if they could tell me the difference between the books they were going to get for prizes and the tiny creature I held for them to see. They thought of lots of differences but not the one I wanted. So, I explained that they had all worked hard and earned the prizes I would present to them. But the rabbit was not a prize. It was a gift for my daughter. I went on to tell them about the greatest gift God had given, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s love for us is presented by the tiny word “gave”. It describes the love of God for the whole world: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). It describes the love of Christ for His Church: “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25). And it describes the depth of Christ’s love for me: “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
James lifts our hearts above, to recognise that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights. God is the source of physical, intellectual and spiritual light. In creation, God’s first words were, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). The Bible teaches us that God is the creator of all things visible and invisible. In all the vastness of the universe, He created the conditions for our world to exist and sustain the life we possess. God also gave us the intelligence to understand and manage our environment and care for each other for His glory. And He gave us the spiritual capacity to have fellowship with Him and know and express His love.
We see the greatest expression of His giving when Jesus Christ steps into the world of time which He created. Paul describes this in Philippians 2:5-8:
Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
It is good to pause in our souls to consider the profound mystery of how much the Saviour has given; He “gave Himself”. May we respond in gratitude and living sacrifice through the love of God, which “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5)
