The Gifts of God
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
— James 1:17 NASB
Warm Up
- If you had to choose, which body part would you cut off? (Hint: the answer is none—every part matters!)
Lessons
Video coming soon
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
— James 1:17 NASBWe have all grown up with different experiences of what a father is like and how a father gives. Some of us grew up without a father, so our experience came from temporary encounters with a coach, a pastor, a teacher. Hopefully, the father figures in our lives have represented the heart of God to us. But so often, we as fathers, fall short of displaying the Father of lights as He truly is. A love that does not change with our behavior.
Your experience with fathers, whether good or bad, can affect your perception of The Father and your ability to ask Him for good things.
“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"”
— Luke 11:11-13 NASBGod is the best Dad you've always wanted and never knew you had. And Satan has done a hell of a job keeping humanity blind to the goodness of God. The Father desires to give you good gifts especially when it comes to the Holy Spirit. If we would boldly come as children with the righteous audacity to ask, He would pour out the gifts of God without holding back. When we ask in this way, It doesn't mean we think we are better than anyone else, it just means we know who He is and who we are to Him.
The reality is many of us don't ask. And if we do ask, it can often sound like the begging of orphans. And He doesn't call you an orphan. He calls you "beloved". In fact, the bible says that we have received the Spirit of adoption and it is by the Holy Spirit that we cry out "Abba Father".
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."”
— Romans 8:14-15 NASBMore Than You Could Ask
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
— Ephesians 3:20-21 NASBNo matter how much you have learned to trust God there is a greater level of trust that we are inviting you to tap into today. Some of you are just starting in your faith journey, while others have seen the Father show up time and time again. Today we are presenting you the opportunity to ask again. And ask big!
How is it possible for us to have such a good Dad and not trust Him with every decision and circumstance in our lives? The real culprit is unbelief. We don't fully believe that He can and will when we cry out. The reality is you and I are still waking up to the goodness of God. We must surrender to the Holy Spirit. Only the Spirit of Christ can open our eyes to the nature of the Father. Then and only then will we begin to ask with the boldness of a beloved child who asks without apologizing for asking.
- What's the biggest request you have ever made to God?
- Did God come through for you? Or maybe you are still waiting?
- What is it that you desire most from the Father?