“Saying God’s not a giver is like saying you want the water but hold the wet.”
The first time my pastor said this, we all laughed. I’ve never encountered water when it wasn’t wet. In the rain, from the faucet, or in the sea—no matter how, when, or where I’ve encountered water, it’s always been wet. You can’t have one without the other.
Although most people wouldn’t argue about water being wet, people would argue about the nature of God and His gifts. The Bible says it this way in James 1:17—
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
In other words, the gifts that God gives contain His goodness, and there is no changeability in His nature.
God’s gifts reflect His giving nature. Even in creation, everything He created had a giving purpose. He gave the sun to rule by day and the moon to rule by night to provide a light source for the earth (Gen. 1:16-18). It says in Genesis 1:29 that He gave seed- and fruit-bearing plants as food sources for man:
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Every gift God has ever given contains a seed in it that allows it to continue to give. Every living thing has a built-in ability to give. This is most evident in His ultimate gift to man—Jesus.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
And in Jesus was the same giving nature. He came to give back to man what was taken from them in the Garden, giving them the gift of everlasting life.
It’s wondrous to realize that even in sending Jesus as the Savior of the world, the Father’s unchangeable nature was demonstrated. He sent His Holy Spirit to overshadow a virgin named Mary, and His Son would grow as all children do—from a seed in a woman’s womb:
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
Luke 1:30-31
Although times have changed and society has tried to obscure the origins of Christmas, no holiday centered on man has ever reflected the giving heart of God like Christmas. He remains the greatest Giver throughout all of eternity, and Jesus remains the greatest Gift.
Make plans to come and celebrate that greatest Gift this Christmas season with Andrew and Jamie Wommack at the premiere of Charis Bible College’s original production: The Heart of Christmas. Performances are on December 11 and 12 at 7 p.m. Additional showings are at 1 p.m. on December 12 and 4 p.m. on December 13.
Enjoy a heartwarming mix of modern-day and biblical stories with seasonal songs and American traditions that reveal the true heart of Christmas. This live musical drama was written by Adam Stone from England and Robert and Elizabeth Muren from Norway. For tickets and pricing information, go to www.heartofchristmas.org or call 719-635-6029.
