Tag Archives: Unopened gifts

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

 

 

Unopened gifts

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What would you think if you brought a valuable gift to a friend’s house only to have them put it on a shelf, unopened?

A story like that is told of a faithful but tired Christian man who died and went to heaven. An angel greeted him and offered a tour of heaven’s grandeur. Along the way, the man noticed an unusual building with no windows and only one door. Asking to see it, the man was advised that he really would not want to see what was inside. But the man pleaded to see inside the building. Once inside, he saw rows and rows of shelves from floor to ceiling, all filled with beautifully decorated boxes. Examining them further, he found one that had his name written on the tag. Again, against the warning of the angel, the man opened the box. Instantly, he recognized its contents. They were blessings God intended for him to enjoy on earth, but some, he never asked for, and others he had not accepted.

It is the same with us. God wants the very best for us, but we have to ask. And once offered them, we have to accept them. Otherwise, there is no blessing received. God tells us that if we, being mortal parents would give good things to our own children, how much more would our heavenly father give to us, His children?

We might not always FEEL it, but there is no end to God’s goodness. We just need to ask for it. I’m not talking about some name it and claim it prosperity gospel too often preached today. I’m talking about the goodness of God: his grace when we deserve none, his strength when we are oh so very weak, his truth when we face lies, his hope when we are in despair, his faithfulness when we feel betrayed.

Have you ever felt nudged by God to step out in faith but you declined, because it seemed awkward or weird? Unopened blessings are like that too. When we know what God desires for us, but don’t respond, we also miss out on blessings that remain instead unopened.

Do you really want God’s best for you? Ask Him and respond when he answers, no matter how awkward it feels. Tell Him that you want to experience His joy, even if you can’t hear him respond right away. Enjoying God’s goodness and enjoying the life he gives you are one and the same.

Believe God, seek him, desire His goodness, and it will be yours. Enjoy God and open the gifts he offers you each day.

Let Earth Receive Her King!

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A man came to a friend’s house with a big box wrapped in festive paper and bows. Handing the gift to his friend, the man says, “Merry Christmas!” The friend replied, “Thank you. would you please put it in the closet?” “Aren’t you going to open it?” the man asked? “Oh no,” answered the friend. “It is just nice to be remembered. After all, it is the thought that counts.”

I’m guessing you think that to be an absurd and unbelievable story. But it is the story of humanity. We have been offered a free gift, but it is of little use to us if we don’t receive it and open it. We celebrate Christmas to remind us that God sent his Son to the earth as his gift for each of us. God doesn’t want any of us to miss this gift. He wants us to experience the joy of his gift by receiving it and enjoying it fully. “Yet to those who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Have you received God’s gift? And if you have, are you enjoying the gift of Jesus fully throughout the busyness of your days? He is the very source of our greatest joy, this Christmas and beyond.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth RECEIVE her king!