God’s Good Gifts | From the Inside Out

Posts Tagged ‘God’s Good Gifts’

All These Good Things

Posted in Bible Study, Blessings, Dreams, Encouragement, God's Goodness, Uncategorized, tagged bible, Contentment, Faith, God, God's Good Gifts, Happiness, Psalm 84:11, satisfaction in life on February 22, 2024| 36 Comments »

Sometime during my teens, workers constructed a new house down the street and around the corner—a white Colonial with pillars—something like this:

I dreamed of living there in its spacious rooms, decorated in classic style, similar to the homes in House Beautiful magazine:

Of course, my dreams included a pool . . .

. . . and my favorite car parked out front, just for me to drive—a baby blue Mustang convertible:

Then I’d be deliriously happy.

And according to Psalm 84:11, those good things should have been mine, right?

After all, I was a pretty good kid—never got in serious trouble.

But now, all these decades later, I know: 1) Any sin at all is enough to separate me from all-righteous God (Isaiah 59:2). And 2) . . .

If it has a price tag, it won’t bring lasting satisfaction.
Chuck Swindoll

Now I realize there’s nothing more I could wish for in this world than what God desires to give me*–gifts that are the result of his ever-perfect goodness, never-ending grace, and breath-taking glory, gifts that are good for me.

Just for fun I challenged myself to list such gifts from A to Z, to celebrate the breadth of his generosity to his children.

I pray you’ll be celebrating too as you peruse the following.

Out of his abundant love, God has graced us with:

Access into his presence any time (Ephesians 2:18)

Bible truth that teaches, guides, and inspires (Psalm 119:24)

Comfort in pain and sorrow (Matthew 5:4)

Delights and blessings (Psalm 103:5)

Enablement to endure life’s downturns (Philippians 4:13), remembering that:

His Forgetfulness of our confessed sins (Hebrews 8:12)

His Grace to redeem us from death (Ephesians 1:7-8)

(The pleasure of) Humor, because the cheerful heart has a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15b)

Immortality with God in heaven (2 Timothy 1:10)

Death is not a period but a comma in the story of life.
Amos Traver

(His) Jealousy that compels him to preserve his relationship with his people (Exodus 20:5)

Kingdom-living and all its benefits (Luke 12:32)

Loving-kindness, lavished upon us (1 John 3:1; Psalm 36:7-9)

Miracles too numerous to count (Job 5:9)

Nature that brims with beauty and wonder (Psalm 104)

Overflow of his benevolence in our lives (Psalm 119:65 NLT)

Promises that never fail (Psalm 145:13b)

Quietness of spirit that offers peace and contentment (Psalm 23:1-2)

Relationships characterized by unity, support, and love (Ephesians 2:17-22)

(The gift of) Song, enlivening our hearts with strength, joy, and encouragement (Psalm 98:4-6)

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
Berthold Auerbach

Truth found in Jesus, setting us free from the impossible burden of earning our way to heaven (John 14:6; 8:32)

Uplift to those who are discouraged, guilt-ridden, and/or grieving (Psalm 145:3-13)

Victory over death, given to us through Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Wonders that showcase his power, wisdom, goodness, and more (Psalm 145:3-13)

(The) X-cellence of his character, compelling him to always do the right thing at the right time (Psalm 96:1-6)

(The) Yoke of Jesus, symbolic of his help as we follow his lead (Matthew 11:28-30)

Zion, the eternal city of perfection prepared for his redeemed (Isaiah 35:10)

And now I can affirm more strongly than ever:

God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Including the best dreams of foolish teenage girls.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for showcasing in our lives your marvelous attributes and showering us with so many wondrous gifts! May the eyes of my heart turn away from the baubles of this world and revel instead in the beauty of your character and kingdom—a kingdom where you preside in all your perfections and provide for us all good things. Hallelujah!

*based on a statement by Joni Eareckson Tada, A Quiet Place in a Crazy World, 127

Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com (2); http://www.pexels.com (Dylan Leagh); http://www.pickpik.com; http://www.flickr.com (Kerry Ann Dame); http://www.rawpixel.com; http://www.pexels.com; http://www.publicdomainpictures.net (Sheila Brown); http://www.pxhere.com.

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Every Good and Perfect Gift

Posted in Blessings, Encouragement, God's Goodness, Uncategorized, tagged 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, God's Blessings, God's Good Gifts, God's Goodness, James 1:17, James 1:2-4, Philippians 4:8 on February 29, 2016| 9 Comments »

In a list of meaningful but “minor impressions,” beloved columnist/author, Joe Bayly, wrote the following for Saturday, July 28, 1962:

“Rode the merry-go-round tonight with happy David and worried Nathan, while Mary Lou looked on and waved each time we passed. Timmy kept up with us, running, for three times around”(1).

And then Joe included this familiar scripture:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17–NIV, emphasis added).

That means everything good in this world comes from God—even a delightful ride on a merry-go-round.

Sometimes, however, the goodness of God’s gifts isn’t immediately recognizable.

Scripture offers a number of examples, such as Paul’s thorn in the flesh. The exact nature of the problem was never revealed, but we do know it was chronic and debilitating. Who would call that a good and perfect gift?

Paul did.

“At first I didn’t think of it as a gift,” he said.

Then God told him, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need.”

“Once I heard that,” Paul explained, “I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift.” (vs. 7-10, The Message).

I, for one, have never had to deal with a long-term thorn in the flesh. But difficult, shorter-term circumstances have turned into tremendous blessings. For example:

A particularly exhausting week of teaching, family responsibilities, and other pressing matters was followed up by a weekend music retreat at church. How could I muster the energy to attend and complete a long must-do-by-Monday list? While visions of PJs and pillows danced in my head, I dragged myself to church. But through the funny and inspiring retreat leader, the uplifting music, and the invigorating camaraderie of music ministry friends, I left Friday evening highly rejuvenated, looking forward to more blessings come Saturday and Sunday.

Our son was not accepted into his first choices of graduate schools, and we wondered what God was doing. Was Eric proceeding in the right direction? Those trying days, however, turned into lessons of trust and spiritual maturity for him, which he humbly took to heart. As for the university that did accept him? That’s where Eric met his wife.

Into every life a few challenging people must fall, right? And with them often come discouragement, stress, and hurt. Where’s the blessing in all that? For starters, God uses such relationships to train us in turning our thoughts to the positive (Philippians 4:8), so we can experience renewal and peace. We also develop perseverance and maturity (James 1:2-4)—traits that lead to a calm and steady life anchored on Jesus.

God gives only good and perfect gifts. Sometimes they come as small but delightful surprises—like a perfect merry-go-round moment.

Sometimes they come wrapped inside trying circumstances.

But those are some of his best gifts–when negative is transformed into positive.

Because that’s downright miraculous.

* * * * * * * * * *

Have you ever received a good and perfect gift out of difficult circumstances? Tell us your story in the comments below.

(1) Joe Bayly, Out of My Mind: The Best of Joe Bayly, Zondervan, 1993, p. 41.

(Photo credit: www.elcivics.com, http://www.pinterest.com.)

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All These Good Things

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