“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights… (James 1:17)
When I lived in “the old country” (Germany), I attended “die Evangelische Hochschule” (the Evangelical high-school) in my home town. I still remember being in the 7th and 8th grades and sat under the tutelage of a great Christian teacher. Just before it was our time to eat, we all sang a little chorus composed by Matthias Claudius. It went something like this:
"Alle gute Gabe kommt her von Gott, dem Herrn,
drum dankt ihm, dankt, drum dankt ihm, dankt, und hofft auf ihn."
Since this is all “Greek” to you, let me put it into English:
“All good gifts come from God, the Lord, therefore thank Him, thank, therefore thank Him, thank, and hope on Him.”
The God of the Bible is the giver of good gifts. Often, we are so overwhelmed by the negatives of life that we fail to thank the Lord for all the good things He has given us. Most of the time, we would rather complain or murmur than be thankful for some of life’s greatest blessings – – such as breath, family, health and real friends.
But a gift is useless unless it is received (with thanksgiving). John puts some very appropriate finishing touches on this joyful message of hope: “But as many as received Him (Jesus Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Genuine RECEIVERS have the greatest cause to be glad REJOICERS!
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