The Gift!

The Gift!

James 1:17 AMPC

[17] Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse]

We start off with a definition of gift, and the one that bears reference to our reflection today is: "a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present". It is clear from this definition that the way to understand the purpose or reason for a gift is to understand the mind of the giver. The one giving the gift would be clear in his/her mind why the gift has been prepared, as well as the ideal person to be given the gift. And there are gifts and there are gifts. In the culture that we are from, we speak of gifts from different perspectives. There are gifts that align with particular seasons of life, and there are gifts that come from the place of the depth of relationships. We speak of birthday and wedding gifts; we know of Christmas and Easter gifts, and we also may speak of the various names given to facilitation payments and even to bribes and kickbacks that are used to secure an advantage on something. 

The verse above refers to the good and perfect gift. It is hard to define perfection from the perspective of imperfect people. How can that which is stained by the old nature of sin offer a perfect gift? How can that which is imperfect in itself offer any gift that will be deemed to be perfect? It would mean that this verse has nothing to do with man but all to do with God. After all, the source always defines the impact. You cannot give what you do not have, and you cannot fake it here. You also note that the direction and source of that which is good and perfect is from above, not below. We always say that the hand of the giver is always on top, even though the world has also corrupted this process by thinking up schemes such as 'under-the-table transactions and deals done and settled under the cover of darkness. 

If it is God, He does His giving in the full view of the world, so that there is no doubt as to the origin and source of the gift. He does not give the way the world gives, which is always hard to understand. Proverbs 18:16 refers to a man's gift making room for him and bringing him before great men. The motive for the gift here may not always be clear, and could be for a good or ulterior motive. For God, His gift is always good, because there is both an earthly and eternal purpose to whatever it is He gives. And we know now that the greatest gift in the history of mankind was given by God to all men. How do I know? Titus 2:11 says quite clearly that "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men". His gift was given, not because of anything selfish motive, but because He was looking for lives He could secure for all of eternity. That is the God that James would have me know, as well as you too. 

James goes further to describe this God by referring to His nature. Of course, the gift must look like the giver. The devil has come to steal, kill and destroy, and it will be a grave error to go to the devil for something that it is not his nature or ability to give. The One who gives life is the One who can secure it, and also take it away as and when He sees fit. If eternal life is your desire, please note that only the One who has tasted and overcome death is the One who can offer you what He has. He is the Father of all light, and He is also Light. With Him, there is no doubt as to who He is, what He demands from us, and where He is taking us to. There is no double standards with Him. He is not One who is hot today and cold tomorrow. Man is the one who cannot be predicted. He has an agenda for anything, and no matter how hard he tries, he may not succeed in whatever venture he gets into. Go with God; He is the One who can be trusted to the end. He will not let you down. How do you respond? God's time of favour is here.