Every Good Gift And Every Perfect Gift

by Pastor Mark
September 21, 2023

 

Thank God for His manifold gifts

God is a wonderful Giver. He lovingly gives and blesses all, especially His people. Yet, not everyone appreciates His gifts and some tend to take them for granted. Some may even be deceived into having misunderstandings concerning the gifts of God. The Apostle James made a clear and important statement, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) How should we understand the gifts of God?

Every gift from God is good

  1. All of God’s gifts are deemed good and righteous.
  2. None of His gifts are bad or evil.

The general gifts that cannot be cultivated

  1. Some of God’s gifts cannot be cultivated.
  2. These are special Divine gifts, such as God’s grace, mercy, love and more.
  3. They are given even though we do not deserve them.
  4. It is the Lord’s prerogative to offer these things.

The spiritual gifts that are to be cultivated

  1. Some gifts are to be cultivated…to be “perfected”.
  2. They are ministry gifts which the Lord gives to all who are saved.
  3. The Apostle Paul provided a list of spiritual gifts and some are highlighted here (Romans 12:6–8):
    1. Prophecy…a supernatural gift that has ceased
    2. Ministry…it is to do humble, custodial work
    3. Teaching…requires vast knowledge and skill to teach effectively
    4. Exhortation…to uplifts the heart
  4. The challenge is to stir up these spiritual gifts (2 Timothy 1:6).
    1. We are to discover our gifts if we have not done so.
    2. We are to cultivate…to work towards perfecting them.
    3. The challenge is to utilise them to edify the church.

The challenge is not to be deceived (James 1:16)

  1. We may be deceived when we do not know how to differentiate the gifts of God.
    1. Gifts that are specially given…not cultivated
    2. Ministry gifts that have ceased
    3. Ministry gifts that continue to exist and are to be cultivated
  2. When people are not keen on cultivating their gifts
    1. Some gifts are disdained as if God can give bad gifts.
    2. If gifts are not perfected, it is not because God gave bad gifts.
    3. The fault is that of the believer, who has not been diligent in cultivating it.

The Father of lights

Our God is our loving Father of lights. He is the source of true light who gives His blessings to all. He is consistent in how He gives and does not vary as a shadow does when the sun moves. Many are deceived, thinking they know so much about God and His gifts but are still limited in understanding. Let us be challenged to wisely understand every good gift and every perfect gift of God that comes from the Father of lights. Let us be challenged to discover, cultivate and use our gifts well for the Lord and the edification of our brethren in Bethany.

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