The Gifts of God…James 1:17…Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.( Greek from above, from the Father of lights. )…He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.( Some manuscripts read He never changes, as a shifting shadow does.)

In the days of the Bible, times of great joy were often accompanied by the giving of gifts, one to another …Nehemiah 8:10… And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!"…Esther 9:22…He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.… This ancient custom, practiced commonly in all nations throughout history, finds its greatest expression today at Christmastime, when the joy of the wise men…Matthew 2:10…When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!…and the joyful tidings of the angels…Luke 2:10…but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.) echo in millions of family circles around the world and, even where Christ Himself is not known, people share the joy of giving.

1.The Gift of Creation

But giving began with God! Human gifts are imperfect, often wrongly motivated, frequently unappreciated, always defective, and temporary. Gifts that are good gifts and perfect gifts come only from above, from the Father of lights. The marvelous universe itself, as it came from the creative hand of the great Giver, was good and perfect. In fact, God pronounced it "very good" and then "rested," having "finished" (that is, "perfected") everything He had created and made …Genesis 1:31-2:3…Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day. So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. …And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.…God began with a good and perfect creation and He has maintained that standard, for with Him "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Both He and His creation remain forever. In fact, this principle as seen in the natural world is now recognized by scientists as the most universal of all scientific laws-the principle of conservation of matter and energy, the "first law of thermodynamics."

Into this perfect creation, however, has appeared an intruder, a disordering agent. By man came sin, and then came the great Curse, and now the whole creation is under the bondage of decay …Romans 8:20-22…Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.… In science, this also is recognized as a universal law, the principle of increasing entropy, the "second law of thermodynamics," the universally observed fact that everything tends to wear out, run down, disintegrate, grow old, and die. …The term "entropy" (from two Greek words, en and trope, meaning "in" and "turning") itself suggests that any system which "turns inward" for its strength will soon decay.

But with God is no "shadow of turning (trope)." He is not only invariable in essence, but unchanging in nature. Thus, every gift from God is still a good gift and a perfect gift! Not only was His created world perfect, but so also is His inspired Word…Psalm 19:7…The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.…The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.…Psalm 119:89…Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven.

The Father of Lights

The theme of giving is strong in the Scriptures. The words "give," "giving," "gift," and other such words occur at least 2,100 times. The very first occurrence, however, is in connection with the giving of light. God placed the great lights in the heavens "to give light upon the earth" (Genesis 1:15). Light is the basic energy by which all creation functions but, so far as the earth is concerned, it is the particular light from the sun which energizes all earth's processes. God Himself is the Light (Genesis 1:31 John 1:5Revelation 22:5) and that light antedates the sun, but He made the "lights"; He is the Father of lights.

In the same manner, as joyful celebrations commonly involve gift-giving, so they have always involved many lights. When Christ came into the world, the shepherds saw the glory shining (Luke 2:9), the wise men saw His star (Matthew 2:2), and John testified that the "true Light" had come (John 1:9). Today, the remembrance of His birth is everywhere marked by an abundance of lights. Even the Jews' festival of Hanukkah, observed concurrently with Christmas, is called by them the "festival of lights."

The Other Gifts of God

Our purpose here does not require a comprehensive study of the biblical theme of giving, but we can at least examine the specific gifts of God that are listed as such in the Scriptures. There are actually eight times when the phrase "gift of God" occurs in the Bible, with the plural "gifts of God" occurring once.

In the Old Testament, the emphasis is on God's material blessings, with the only two references being found in Ecclesiastes.…Ecclesiastes 3:13…And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.…Ecclesiastes 5:19…And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life-this is indeed a gift from God.…Let no one, therefore, take personal pride in his own abilities or his possessions! They are, in the deepest sense, gifts of God's grace.…Spiritual blessings are far more important than physical and material blessings, however, and all six of the New Testament occurrences of this phrase, the "gift of God," emphasize these. Three of these are translations of the Greek dorea ("freewill gift"), with three from the Greek charisma ("gracious gift"), but, for our purposes, the meaning is so nearly the same that they can almost be used interchangeably.

God's Spiritual Blessings…These six New Testament gifts of God are listed below in order as we trace them sequentially through the New Testament.

1. The Gift of Christ Himself…John 4:10… 10 Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."……2.The Gift of the Holy Spirit…Acts 8:18-20…18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power.19 "Let me have this power, too," he exclaimed, "so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!"…20 But Peter replied, "May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God's gift can be bought!

3.The Gift of Eternal Life…Romans 6:23…23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.……4.The Gift of Individual Personal Abilities…1 Corinthians 7:7…7 But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.……5.The Gift of Salvation through Faith…Ephesians 2:8…8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

6.The Gift of Confident Love…2 Timothy 1:6-7…6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

The Permanence of God's Gifts

If all of the gifts of God are good and perfect, it is no surprise that they are eternal. It is significant that the sole occurrence of the plural "gifts of God" stresses this wonderful truth.…Romans 11:29…29 For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.…Every one of these gifts of God will be ours to treasure throughout eternity.

The last mention of giving in the Bible has to do with the rewards which Christ will give His faithful servants at His return. …Revelation 22:12…12 "Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.…He is the great Giver, from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation!

Therefore, as we share once again the lights of Christmas and the joy of giving gifts to those we love, let us be sure to remember the Father of lights and that greatest of all His good and perfect gifts.…John 3:16…16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Then, after contemplating His great gift and the love that determined it, we can respond only in praise and wonder:…Thank You God for his unspeakable gift.…2 Corinthians 9:15…Thank God for this gift (Greek his gift ) too wonderful for words!

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