Daily Devotional – Tuesday, January 18, 2022
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 (NKJV)
When was the last time you received a gift? How did you feel? Gifts from fellow human beings can never be perfect. Some gifts we receive are not useful or necessary in our lives. The giver may have been sincere but may not have understood our needs and preferences.
Not so with God. As James observes, “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).
The Perfect Gifts of Life and Health
What are some of these good and perfect gifts? Think about life. Is it not wonderful to be alive and to witness the goodness of the Lord? How precious is life to a person who has woken up from a comma or one who has survived a car accident?
How about health? We take health for granted until the day an illness relegates us to the sickbed. For some, the gift of health begins to have value when we visit a sick person in hospital and witness people suffering and hanging on to dear life.
The Perfect Gifts of Family and Friends
Next time you think your family is a bother, visit a children’s home / orphanage or an old people’s home. Here you will find people who have no known relatives. No one calls them brother, sister, mother, father, granny, grandfather, aunt or uncle?
You realize friends are a gift from God when you lose a job or a loved one; when your business collapses; when you are sick, or when you need a shoulder to lean on. Do you know there are people who die alone and nobody realizes because the deceased had no friends?
The Perfect Gifts of Food, Sunshine and Rainfall
We often complain about the food we eat, claiming it is not well balanced or it is poorly cooked. Meanwhile, a family somewhere will sleep on empty stomachs. Some people will starve to death the same night.
In my part of the world, we complain about the scorching sun during the dry season and wish for the rain to come. When the showers hit the earth, we now have to deal with impassable roads and mud.
Innumerable Good and Perfect Gifts around us
All around us are God’s perfect gifts such as people, animals, plants, fresh air, rivers, skies and clouds. God’s gifts encompass those He has given us the wisdom and means to create and own, including electronics, vehicles, buildings, clothes shoes and so on.
Using Our Gifts to Serve God and Others
As we contemplate and appreciate God’s good and perfect gifts in our lives, we must remember that, “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” (Psalms 24:1). God owns everything. We are just stewards or managers.
“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2). God wants us to manage faithfully the gifts He has given us, including life and time. In addition, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10).
Almighty Father. I thank You for Your Good and Perfect Gifts. Help me to use these gifts to serve You and my fellow human beings.
Which of God’s gifts are you celebrating most today? Please post a comment.
Waoh,,A Wonderful Prayer & Sermon.May Almighty God make me a faithful Servant to His Humanity.Amen🙏
Amen, Chairman. There is a lot to celebrate from our never-ending list of God’s gifts.