Tag Archives: James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift

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Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

 

Do you like to receive gifts? According to Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell, authors of The 5 Love Languages,  receiving gifts is one of the ways some people best express and receive love.

 

What comes to mind when you think of “the best gifts ever?” For some the answer might be jewelry. For others technological gadgets, new tools. It has been said that “the best things in life are free.” If you agree you might think of a quiet walk in the park, watching a beautiful sunset, spending time with someone you love, or watching a child in a moment of discovery.

 

Certainly, forgiveness and life itself would be included in your list of ‘best’ gifts. But how do we achieve these? Your world view will lead you to one of two conclusions: “best gifts” either result from our own efforts and deeds or they come as a gift of love from God. Sometimes we receive these gifts and sometimes it seems we are oblivious to them.

 

There is a fable of a man who died and went to heaven. Upon arrival he was given a welcome tour where he was shown many great mansions and wonders. Coming to one building with no windows, he asked to go in but was encouraged and his guide to not pay any attention to it. The man insisted on seeing it and once inside he discovered a huge trove of beautifully wrapped presents. Looking closer he saw that each one had a tag with his name on it. Asking why they were here, the man was told, “These are the blessings you were freely given in life, but never received; they are gifts you never opened and so never enjoyed.”

 

God describes His very best gifts in the love letter He wrote to us, the Bible. When we receive and open these we discover forgiveness, eternal life, love, peace, joy, and hope. We receive undeserved grace and mercy, compassion. We are filled with strength, wisdom, and courage. When we enjoy His gifts we are embodied with goodness, faith, perseverance, contentment, and the character of the living God. We don’t earn these by our own doing. They are free gifts from a loving God who knows the true desires of our heart and longs to graciously give them to us.

 

It’s true. The best things in life are free: good and perfect gifts from our Heavenly Father – love, life, laughter, friendship, forgiveness, freedom, and so much more. Receive and open the gifts He freely offers you today and every day. Live thankfully and share them with others and discover yet another great gift, the joy of living.

 

Every good and perfect gift is from above.  James 1:17

 

 

Menu or special order?

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How would you respond if the real Jesus appeared to you face to face? Would you consider the person to be disillusioned or discount the encounter as a hoax? Jesus Himself appeared to many people after his death on the cross. And even before his death He warned us that as we minister to the needs of the marginalized (the hungry, poor, those in jail, etc) we would actually be ministering to Him.

The movie, The Encounter, takes an engaging and dramatic look at what it might be like to encounter the real risen Jesus in this life and is worth the watch. In the first film, five unrelated people end up taking refuge in an isolated diner during a storm. The man behind the counter, Jesus, welcomes them and asks them if they’d like to order off the “menu or special order.” All special orders are a free gift. Jesus already knows their favorite meal and prepares it to their highest expectation.

As I think about his question, “Menu or special order?” I am reminded of the choices I have available to me every single day. I can simply accept what is on the standard “menu” for the day…the prescribed and comfortable activities, the daily routine, my same pattern of thinking through things in my own way, my same expectations of how the day will go, and my same response to my circumstances. There are choices, but they all seem limited to what is on “the menu.”

OR… I can make a “special order.” In other words, I can skip the standard menu of limited choices, and choose instead to access the ‘chef’s finest’ options. It would be like dialing up a sunny afternoon at the beach when it’s raining where I am or a walk in the forest while I am in the middle of the city.

In reality, a “special order” IS available to us wherever we are and whenever we seek it. I am not talking about a ‘name it and claim it’ approach to materialistic spirituality (an oxymoron, no?). But we DO have the opportunity to special order peace in the midst of chaos, faith instead of doubt and fear, strength in the presence of weakness, forgiveness instead of bitterness. We can special order endurance instead of giving up, love instead of disdain, kindness instead of apathy, purpose instead of a wasted day, and real hope instead of mere wishes.

Jesus freely offers all this and more to his followers every day. But the choice is ours: “What will you have today: the standard menu, or special order?”

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17