Giver

*The Gift Giver

When God moves in our lives, answering prayers, healing, speaking over us in love…what must His face look like as He sees the lightbulb go on for us? Can you just imagine the smile of joy on His face when He gives good gifts to His children? A beautiful sunrise, a good night’s rest, an uplifting song on the radio, with a message you really needed in that moment, a card or a call from a friend … each blessing in our lives originates with the giver of all good gifts, our Heavenly Father.

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”

James 1:17-18 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/jas.1.17-18.nlt

Think about the joy we experience when we give good gifts! The very best part of giving a gift is to see that gift opened and enjoyed! Maybe even the warm hug you receive as a thank you! Imagine the smile and surprise on the face of the receiver!

Now, think of the gifts God gives us. His gifts far exceed any human gift we could offer. Imagine the joy on our Father’s face as we praise Him, seeing clearly that the gift was from Him!

“How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.”

Psalms 36:7-9 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/psa.36.7-9.nlt

God gave the ultimate gift, when He gave Jesus. Of all the wonderful gifts we receive from our Heavenly Father, Jesus is the very best gift! His gifts of mercy and grace on the cross allow us to put on His righteousness. If we accept this amazing gift, when God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Jesus. The greatest joy of our Savior is when one of His children accepts His gift of salvation. If you have never received Jesus gift of salvation, it is a free gift and it is available to you in this very moment.

““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/jhn.3.16.nlt

The gift of salvation in Jesus makes every other gift in our lives even better! When we have Jesus, His love fills every part of our lives. We begin to see things through His eyes and experience the true joy of knowing Him.

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”

Romans 8:31-32 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/rom.8.31-32.nlt

Imagine with me, for a moment, the smile on the face of our Savior as a lost person accepts His gift of forgiveness and salvation. Imagine the smile on His face as we, who are His beloved children, love others in His name. Imagine the joy on His face as we praise Him, pray to Him and sit at His feet reading His Word.

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

Joshua 1:8 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/jos.1.8.nlt

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

Psalms 37:4 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/psa.37.4.nlt

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Matthew 6:33 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/mat.6.33.nlt

Our Heavenly Father gives us amazing gifts every single day. I want to see each of them clearly as straight from His hand. I want to have a thankful heart and show my gratitude to Him.

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/1th.5.18.nlt

I will take a moment every time I see a blessing from God’s hand and imagine His warm smile of enjoyment as the Giver! I will imagine His warm, loving smile until that wonderful day when I will see Him face to face!

“Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

Psalms 107:8-9 NLT

https://www.bible.com/116/psa.107.8-9.nlt

Guest Blog contributed by Kimberly Branham- wife, mother, my sister, friend, cancer survivor, gift-giver extraordinaire!