“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17
Yesterday, I spent all day shopping with my wife…about nine hours total. Normally this would be torture. I would schedule a root canal to get out of an entire day of shopping! But yesterday was different. We were Christmas shopping. Specifically, we were getting presents for our children. I must admit that when it comes to the everyday purchases, I’m not great at helping out. But when it comes to putting a present under the Christmas tree, I want to be involved. The reason for this is, when my child opens that gift with great excitement and it puts a huge smile on their face, I want to know that I played a real part in that. I want to know that, more than just paying for that gift, I picked it out. I thought about my child – their desires, talents, and needs – and then I chose something specifically for them. I want to know that I helped put that smile on their face. And I want my children to know how much their dad loves them, knows them, and desires to bless them.
In much the same way, our Heavenly Father is an intimate father. He does not only give us good gifts sometimes, like I do with my children, but absolutely everything good in our lives comes from him. Everything that has blessed you or put a pure smile of joy on your face has come from God. When I was a child, growing up in church, we used to sing this song: “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.” In a season where we focus so much on what we don’t have and concentrate on what we want, take a moment today and count every single blessing in your life. Then realize that every one of those blessings comes from a Father who loves you intimately.
Loving Heavenly Father, forgive us for our discontentment. As we count our blessings today, we want to show You our gratitude for the incredible love that You have displayed in our lives; recognizing that Your love is most perfectly displayed in the ultimate gift of Salvation that You have given us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon