God Gave You That

"If tomorrow's supply depended on today's thanksgiving, how much would you have tomorrow?" 

You might have thought through this popular question. It might convict us, but how do we respond? This question implies that everything in our life (skills, money, people, time, our bodies, possessions, schedules etc.) is a gift from God. And God wants us to see it as just that. 

Viewing everything as an undeserved gift frees us to praise God and give to others.   


Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

God's Gifts Keep us Dependent on Him 

If our greatest desire is to delight in the Lord, we will want our possessions to help us in that effort. In Proverbs 30:8-9, the author asks God to give Him just the right amount of gifts as to keep him satisfied in Christ alone.

...Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:8-9

Since everything we have comes from the Lord, we need His grace every day. And frankly, we want what God has to offer. We serve a Father who is not stingy with His gifts to His children. In fact, those who belong to Christ lack no good thing (Ps. 34:10). He does far more abundantly than all that we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). 

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11 

God takes even the bad stuff in our life and turns it into a good gift (Rom. 8:28). He gives and He takes away; even His taking away is a gift. We get to confidently depend on a God who richly provides us with everything we need for a godly life. He will never disappoint (Phil. 4:19). 

If God gave us His own Son, will He not also graciously give us everything else? (Rom. 8:32)

God's Gifts Help Us Give Undeserved Gifts 

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a parable about a master who cancelled his servant's massive debt. The servant then turned around and refused to extend the same mercy to a man who owed him money. And the saddest part? The man owed the servant much less than the servant previously owed the master. 

Once we realize everything in life is a gift from God, despite our sin and wandering hearts, we realize we are not entitled to anything. What we have is not our own. We have no reason to boast. This mindset frees us to give our time, talents, and resources to others.

Even more than that, reflecting on God's provision helps us give unconditionally. God gave the ultimate gift, His Son, when we were the least deserving (Rom. 5:8). Even though we continue to fail Him, He never stops giving Himself to us. 

On this basis, we have no reason to withhold kindness from our neighbors like the unmerciful servant did. No matter what someone has or has not done, we can be an extension of God's generosity to them. 

We can cheerfully give what God has given us, love and grace. 

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Everything we have comes from the Lord. What a freeing mindset. It frees us from jealousy, greed, pride, discontentment, and disappointment. It loosens our grip on the world and opens our hands to others. 

Because God is our Giver, we can expect less from this world and more from Him. 

The Girl ☎︎ Next Door