He Gives Good Gifts

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

(Luke 11:11-13)

I am evil. There, I said it. I may not be the same kind of evil as a suicide bomber or a serial killer but when I compare myself to God, I am evil, just to a slightly lesser degree. As evil as I am, I wouldn’t think of intentionally giving my children a gift that would harm them. I’ve always tried to give my children the best and most thoughtful gift I can. Why would I think God doesn’t want to do the same for me, as his adopted child?

The heavenly Father wants to give me good gifts, except on a scale I can’t possibly imagine. The best gifts from God are unseen and intangible. He gave me the Holy Spirit to dwell in me and guide me on the righteous path. He also gave me the gift of love for my fellow man that I didn’t have before. For me, those gifts were given as I rose from the waters of baptism. My soul was strengthened, and my heart was made clean. I cherish those gifts more than anything else the Lord has done for me.

Anyone can receive God’s wonderful gifts. He’s not going to give you material riches that would corrupt you and last only for this lifetime. He’s going to give you spiritual gifts of infinitely greater value that will last an eternity. Just as an earthly father should want to give gifts that benefit his children, God’s gifts are the kind that make us better followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.

God wants to give integrity to the deceitful, courage to the fearful, and love to the despised. We are all of those things before submitting to him. As the children of God, we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for his good gifts. If our motivations are within the will of God, he will be faithful to give. He gives good gifts to us when we repent of our sins, and come to him with a contrite heart, and on bended knee. It’s more than likely, we won’t even realize what the gifts were until we arrive in heaven.

Heavenly Father, you are a wonderfully generous God. You give us the gifts we need, not because we deserve them, but because you are a good, good Father. We give our children things we think are awesome, but you give us gifts that transcend time and follow us into eternity. We thank you, Father, for the gift of your Holy Spirit. We thank you for all the spiritual gifts. We praise you for a love that goes beyond understanding. We know we can never repay our sin debt to you by our own means. Thank you for paying that debt with the blood of Jesus Christ. When we ask for your provision, you provide for us. When we ask for your blessing, you bless us. When we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us, his guidance never fails. We know we are evil, but because of the blood of Jesus, we are washed clean and his righteousness covers us. It’s in his name, we pray. Amen!