Gift Giving

Devotion for the week...

It's that time of year again...you're probably either braving the mall, spending a lot of time online shopping, or sewing frantically. Or maybe you're doing all three! While my husband does a lot of our Christmas shopping (yes, I do appreciate it!), over the past few days, I have been shopping online for things for him, thinking about what to get my parents, and working on a mini quilt for my grandmother.

In the midst of all that, Matthew 7:11 popped into my head: "So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." For a little context, this is part of the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus was talking about prayer. The full paragraph says, "You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him" (vv. 9-11).

I love that Jesus compared God to a parent giving gifts to their kids!

As Paul has been shopping online for stocking stuffers for our boys, he keeps showing me things he has found. Even though the boys are now 21, 19, and 15, it's still a joy for him to find things he thinks they will like, whether it's something he thinks they'll use or something silly that will make us all laugh on Christmas morning. And now, thanks to Jesus' comparison, I can't help but picture God thinking joyfully of the little gifts He will give us.

Think about how many blessings have been bestowed on us, even though we haven't asked for those specific things, because He knows we will need them or enjoy them. Isn't it beautiful to think that God finds joy in giving us those things?

Then, of course, there are the gifts He gives us in response to our prayers. Maybe it's a big thing, like a new job or healing from an illness. Maybe it's a little thing, like a child finally sleeping through the night, or an encouraging phone call when you're feeling down. Regardless of what we ask for, Jesus assures us that our Father is paying attention, and that He will give us good gifts in response to our prayers. In fact, He's better at choosing gifts for His children than any human parent ever could be.

How could it be otherwise, when "whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father" (James 1:17). Everything good in our lives is a gift from God, whether it's something we asked for or not.