Gospel Reflections #218: God's Good and Perfect Gifts

James 1:17 "Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above, from the Father, who is the source of light. The Father is without transition and without shadow, which arises with the movement of the heavenly bodies."

What is the good gift, the perfect gift? It is love, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is called joy, peace, generosity, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and temperance.

It is also a love that is patient, merciful, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not proud, not ungrateful, not seeking its own gain, not irritated, not resentful, not rejoicing in unrighteousness, rejoicing in truth, enduring all, believing all, hoping all, enduring all.

No matter how good we become, we cannot produce these good things. We can do them because God gives them to us.

Even if we take credit for them or treat them as if they were our own, God still pours out good things to us. Not only that, God forgives us, has mercy on us, and pours out his unchanging love.

When we realize such a God, we truly know who we are and who God is.

We sometimes become spiritually prideful and act as if we have become God.

It is precisely at such times that we experience God's forgiveness and are immersed in His love, which teaches us humility. And it is because we are filled with good gifts from the Father that we are able to use those gifts for someone else.

Let us rejoice today that there is only bad in us, but God knows it all too, and He surrounds us with good gifts, perfect gifts!

---

This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, a devoted student of the Bible who passionately embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on the Gospels as a way to reach out to others and spread the message of Jesus. We're sharing her message here so that you too can experience the joy that comes from the Gospel that has filled her heart.