Good Gifts
GOD IS THE GIVER OF EVERYTHING THAT’S GOOD.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read James 1:13-18.
Verse of the Day: “The Lord will indeed give what is good” (Psalm 85:12, NIV).
“Can I open it, Mom? Can I?” Steven begged, jumping up and down beside the big box that had just been delivered. Steven’s birthday dinner with his family was scheduled for that evening. He hoped that the package had something to do with that.
“No,” Mom answered softly. “1 think we’ll wait until tonight to open it.”
The rest of the afternoon passed slowly for Steven. He tried to watch television and even rode his bicycle in the driveway for a while, but he couldn’t get his mind off the big box that he would open that night.
Finally, the time came, and Mom called him in for dinner. He went inside and saw that his mother had decorated the dining room with streamers and balloons!
“Can I open it now, Mom?” he asked.
“Not until after dinner,” she said. “But I will tell you your Aunt Kate sent it.”
That did it! “Aunt Kate!” Steven cried, and he started jumping up and down. “Aunt Kate sends the best birthday presents in the world!”
Steven made it through dinner and survived the long wait before Mom and Dad let him open his presents. Sure enough, Aunt Kate’s gift—a set of interconnecting building blocks-was his favorite.
That night, as Steven’s mom and dad tucked him into bed, Mom asked him if he had enjoyed his birthday.
“Oh, yes!” he said happily. “Especially Aunt Kate’s present!”
“Aunt Kate loves you very much,” Mom explained. “That’s why she always remembers your birthday. But did you know that there’s someone who gives even better gifts than Aunt Kate?”
Steven’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You’re making that up!” he said.
Mom smiled. “No, I’m not. God gives better gifts. The Bible says that all good gifts come from him.”
“You mean even my connecting blocks come from God?” Steven asked.
“In a way,” Mom said slowly. “Aunt Kate gave those blocks to you.” She hesitated for a moment. “But who gave Aunt Kate to you?”
Steven’s mouth dropped in an expression of realization. “God!” he said.
“That’s right,” Mom said. “And Aunt Kate is just one of God’s many good gifts to us, right?”
“Right!” Steven said.
TO DISCUSS: Spend a few minutes taking turns listing God’s good and perfect gifts to you. Brainstorm ways to praise God for those good gifts.
TO PRAY: “God, you’re the giver of everything that’s good. Thank you for your faithfulness to us.”