Do you want to give God the perfect gift?
This question implies that not all we give to God is perfect,
that some of our giving is inherently flawed. And that, in turn, implies that God is pleased
by some gifts more than others.
Does that seem unfair?
Cain, a son of Adam, thought so.
So much, if fact, that it led him to kill his brother Abel because God
received Abel’s gift but not his own. (Gen. 4)
The fact that God has preferences is so important that it was one of the
earliest hard lessons God reveals to us about Himself.
This important distinction came to mind from an outreach
conversation I had with Sean, a medical student who had just finished an
interview for his residency. He told me
his purpose in training to be a doctor was to be able to help others who couldn’t
help themselves. He had described
himself as not very religious, but simply said he enjoys giving to others more
than being on the receiving end.
Religious or not, I admire and appreciate the years of
dedicated study, the time, effort and money Sean is giving to be a doctor able
to help others. I’m glad that people all
around us like him give their efforts and energy to be of help to others. For so many it seems to be just second
nature, not necessarily due to their religious beliefs and many in spite of
their unbelief.
Yet this attitude of giving and serving others is not the
perfect gift that pleases God.
Ephesians 2 tells us that those outside of a faith
relationship with Christ are “dead in their trespasses and sins”. Yet we know that unbelieving people do many
wonderful acts of kindness and giving to others. So how can “dead” people do such wonderful
things, and why wouldn’t their acts of kindness and service be holy and
acceptable to God?
Well, just as tainted water might still be used for a
variety of purposes other than as drinking water, so people are able to live
out what it means to be humans “created in God’s image”, despite the sin that
taints us. We all have a God-given
conscience, so we feel better when we not only avoid evil but when we do the
good that we ought to do. But our
motives are mixed, and we also do good for self-centered reasons, such as fame,
status, pleasure, reciprocal giving, or self-centered pride. At best, our motives are tainted, and the
good we do and the thanks we give that comes only from self is far from being
perfect.
Jesus said “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father
is perfect.” That applies to our giving
as well, and on our own it all falls short because of our sinful nature. But there is a better way of giving to
God. A way that is acceptable, untainted
by self-serving motivation. Christ
offers the way to give the perfect gift that God deserves.
The Apostle Paul knew the secret of giving the perfect gift.
In fact, in describing his own gratitude
and service to others, Paul described it as “holy, righteous and blameless”. (1 Thess. 2:10) Now Paul was well aware of his own sins,
shortcomings, and surely his tainted motivations, so how was he able to
honestly describe his own conduct as holy, righteous and blameless? Because he trusted not in himself but in
Jesus, who removes the taint of sin from our gifts of service and thanksgiving
through his blood shed on the cross.
Paul knew that the thanksgiving and service we do in Christ
comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, with the purpose not of serving
ourselves but of glorifying God. We love
because he first loved us. While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. James
1:17 tells us that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father…” The good we do and the
thanks we give doesn’t originate with us, but it comes from God.
We can’t give what we don’t have. Jesus said to His disciples before sending
them out, “Freely you have received; freely give.” The perfect gift we can give God comes only
after we have received it from God. We
can give the gifts of faithfulness and obedience that spring not from selfish
motives or compulsion, but from a thankful heart that realizes we have already
received the perfect gifts from God above.
What is the perfect gift?
Jesus! “God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.” God gave
His Son, who died and rose again that we might die to sin and live for God. We can give God the perfect gift of Jesus
living through us only if we have Jesus living in us.
Whatever we do, whatever our occupation, however we spend
our time – can be the perfect gift God desires when we live in obedience to
Christ and allow Him to live through us.
PS - Thanks, Sean, for allowing me to record our
conversation. It can be viewed HERE
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