The Greatest Giver

“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)

We just returned from visiting our son and his family in Phoenix Arizona. While there we went Christmas shopping for our youngest grandson, Drew. He’s about 18 months old and is feisty, fun, and ready to run. In shopping for him we sought out just the right gift – that perfect gift – the one that best fit his emerging personality at this stage in his development as a little boy.

In an even greater way our Father in heaven seeks to give us good and perfect gifts. In fact every gift He gives is specifically designed and designated to assist us as we progress down the road of spiritual growth and development. Every gift He gives is specially made to perfectly fit each one of us and our immediate and future needs, challenges, and victories.

As I reflect back over the years at the gifts God’s given me, I can see how each one was designed and engineered by God to shape my character, strengthen my resolve, and establish His love and determination in my heart. Every gift drew me closer to Him and consequently brought me into greater dimensions of an ever enriching and expanding salvation experience.

You need to know that God has you on His shopping list when it comes to giving good and perfect gifts. God is a giver and He loves to graciously give to His children. He may give you gifts that you don’t even know that you’ll need – gifts that will kick in or come into play as you walk out His plan and purpose for your life. Many times we don’t recognize a gift was imparted to us until we review past life events and suddenly realize God was in the midst of our situation adding aspects of His divine character to our lives.

We just need to remember that our heavenly Father knows exactly what we need, both now and in the future. He knows the perfect gift for the specific times, situations, and seasons of our lives. Our job is to stay alert so we do not miss His gifts when they arrive, spring forth, or emerge in the landscape of our lives.

Since God is the greatest of all givers, there is much we can learn about gift giving by examining the nature and quality of the gifts He gives to men.

Every gift of the Father resides within and flows through the person of His Son, and has been released by the sacrificial death of His Son. Jesus Christ’s willingness to sacrificially lay His life down to redeem humanity established Him as the author and finisher of our faith. Jesus’ action effectively initiated the redemptive plan of God in the earth.

As a consequence every gift the Father gives has an innate redemptive quality to it. This means every gift creates qualities in you that benefit you by making you a better person. Every gift enables you to advance in your personal salvation experience as you receive more of the good things that God originally intended you to have.

For example God gives every believer the gift of righteousness (Rom. 5:17). This gift does several things. First, it gives every believer the opportunity to enter into His innermost courts to worship Him, enter His presence, experience fullness of joy and taste the goodness of God (Ps.100:2-4, 16:11).

Second, the gift qualifies every believer to receive all the blessings and promises He has set aside for the righteous. Just look at all the promises in Psalms, Proverbs, and throughout the bible that pertain to believers as the righteous. There is a treasure load of good things God has set aside for the believer.

Third, the gift of righteousness empowers believers to reign in this life through the living word of God (Rom. 5:17). Accepting, embracing, and declaring the promises and principles outlined in Scripture – by faith – positions us to begin to overcome and reign over situations we may face daily.

Another important quality in God’s gifts is that each one brings us incrementally closer to wholeness as a person. Remember, it says every good and perfect gift comes from God. Here, the word perfect is translated from the Greek word “teleioo,” which means “complete.” “Perfect” in the Old Testament (Ps. 18:30) is translated from the Hebrew word “tamiym,” which means “entire, integrity, and truth.”

The word “entire” is defined as “whole; complete; not broken, damaged, or decayed, but intact.” Therefore, a perfect gift brings a person ever closer to wholeness by helping them to recover from personal wounds or brokenness, damaged emotions, or decayed thinking patterns.

Jesus said; you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48). Our Father in heaven wants us to be just like Him, complete and whole. He does not operate from a dysfunctional, unhealthy, or incomplete core. Unlike Him, no living person is exempt from being incomplete or suffering a lack of wholeness. Therefore, we all need God’s perfect gifts.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a prime example of one of God’s perfect gifts. Working from within the believer the Holy Spirit is continually leading the believer into all truth (Jn. 16:13), showing us how to overcome our brokenness or leading us to someone who can help us overcome. At just the right time He releases another perfect gift, the gift of healing, which removes the intrusive cause of our pain and releases restoration to our weary souls (I Cor. 12:9).

In issuing every perfect gift God is seeking to gradually restore the believer to a place of spiritual, emotional, and psychological health so he can operate at a level of wholeness that brings Him glory. When something or someone is complete or entire they are whole and therefore can walk in integrity. Our personal spiritual and emotional wholeness fosters levels of integrity that glorify our heavenly Father.

One final trait resident in God’s gifts is that they always establish believers in His kingdom purposes and realities. We could say God’s gifts build a foundation for prosperity and success in the believer’s life. So many of us need that solid platform from which to launch out into the spiritual journey He has for us.

In Romans we see an excellent example of gifts which establish a foundation for a life of serving the Lord (Rom. 12:3-8). Here, we find seven gifts that contribute to defining the believer’s direction and the eventual unfolding of his destiny. Discovering which gifts operate and function within and through our lives and then developing and walking in those gifts will have very much to do with our spiritual success and fruitfulness.

Overall, every gift of God is good and perfect, specifically designed to fit exactly what each believer needs to be a disciple and successful follower of Jesus Christ. Every gift makes us a better person, brings about personal wholeness, and establishes us in the purposes of God.

In Christ Jesus all of God’s gifts, promises, and blessings are made available to every believer. We have only to believe, receive, unwrap, embrace, and clothe ourselves with the garments of our salvation (Isa. 61:10) and the goodness of God.

As we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth this Christmas season, let’s thank our heavenly Father – who is the Greatest Giver of all – for sending His Son as the greatest and most perfect gift to mankind.