The Good and Perfect Gift
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Christmas time has always been known as the season for gifts. We know that it all stems from the gifts that God gave to mankind through his own Son, Jesus. We also know that God’s gifts are priceless and always perfect.
The Wise men from the East traveled from afar to find Jesus as they followed the Star of Bethlehem, but when they found Jesus, he was not a newborn anymore. Most teach that Jesus was between 1 ½ to 2 years old.
The narrative of Matthew’s gospel tells us that these Wise Men stopped at the palace of Herod on the way, to seek the location of where the new king was who had been born in Israel. Of course Herod didn’t know, and probably would never have told them if he did, so the wise men continued following the star that had already led them so far.
When the wise men left Herod, darkness had already fallen and as they looked into the night sky the star that was invisible in the light of day, reappeared in the night sky and it led them to the very house where Mary, Joseph and Jesus were staying in Bethlehem because they were in no hurry to go back to Nazareth.
Traveling the long road would be really hard and dangerous for a while because Mary had to recover. They stayed long enough to allow Jesus to grow before they would put a newborn on a donkey on the open road for 2 or 3 weeks. After the crowds in Bethlehem began leaving once they had registered for the census, there were likely a number of places where the couple could stay cheap.
Bethlehem was both Joseph and Mary’s ancestral home, and I have no doubt that they had relatives who would have been glad to take them in for an extended stay
Matthew 2:11, in speaking about the wise men, the Bible says, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
Can you imagine how fast the word spread that the Wise Men had come? They traveled in a large entourage. It wasn’t just 3 very wealthy men on a well decorated camel.
It was a whole group of servants and guards that traveled with them, so when they pulled up in front of the house of Joseph and Mary, the whole town probably knew it in no time.
They came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We already know that they stood for the glory and riches of Jesus’ heavenly origin; of frankincense, one of the ingredients of Holy Anointing Oil used in temple worship, signifying Jesus’ role as our Great High Priest, every making intercession for us; and there was the myrrh; often used as a pain killer, symbolizing Jesus’ humanity, and his destiny to become the savior through sacrifice, and also his death, burial and resurrection.
The wise men themselves may not have known the full meaning of their gifts, but they were open to hearing the voice of the Lord because they were told to warn Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt because of Herod’s decree to kill all male children 2 years and under in Bethlehem and all the region around it.
The most Good and Perfect gift even given to this world that is lost in sin, is the Gift of the very Son of God in the form of a man, sent to us our Father in Heaven.
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.
I was researching this and I came across a very interesting article concerning just what a “
Good Gift” and a “Perfect Gift” is supposed to do for both the Giver and the Receiver.
Of course we know that the Giver is God himself, so when God gives gifts they are already both good and perfect in every way possible. But what do those good and perfect gifts do for us?
A good gift is a gift that brings positive emotions.
What greater feelings or emotions could any gift give greater than knowing that our Loving, Merciful Heavenly Father loves us enough to give us the most precious and powerful gift that Heaven has to offer! His gift of His own Son brought Joy, happiness, peace, unity, redemption, and every good thing that we could ever hope for. Every good and perfect gift that God could give to mankind was given in Jesus.
A good gift takes into account the recipient's needs.
Our Father who knows all things, and was there in the beginning and will be there at the end, knew one thing - THAT WE, WHO WERE CREATED IN HIS OWN IMAGE, SURELY NEEDED REDEMPTION, DELIVERANCE AND SALVATION! God’s gifts always take into account what we need, so that the need can be supplied.
He not only gave us the Good and Perfect Gift of His only Son, Jesus, but Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:8, that when Jesus died on the cross, redeeming us through his own blood, Jesus then went into the grave to set free every man, woman and child who was waiting there by faith, for the day when the Messiah would be born in Israel. Paul says, “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Since Jesus is God, the gifts he gave us at that moment when He led captivity captive, bringing all those faithful souls into heaven with him, all those gifts are also from the Father of Lights, and they are good and perfect in every way.
What are those gifts? In Ephesians 4:11, just three verses later, Paul says what they are, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;” Does that mean that every apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher are “Good” and “Perfect”? No - those who are given those gifts aren’t always good and perfect, but the gifts themselves are “Perfect and Good” and when the gifts are received rightly and used rightly, they create “Good and Perfect” results.
God saw that the church needed all the things that those “Good and Perfect” gifts, that were given to us.
Ephesians 4:12-16 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
God knew what we would need to become the church that he desires us to be.
3. A good gift expresses care. God is Love and Love always cares and desires the best for those who He loves. God’s compassion, care and provision are shown in the “Good and Perfect Gifts” through Christ and the 5-fold ministry to the church.
And then comes the Gifts of the Spirit, given to us by the Holy Ghost, again from the Father of Lights” I won’t take the time to go through all of those gifts for time’s sake. But that’s not the end of it either.
Remember, it’s every “Good and Perfect Gift”, every one of them are priceless and precious and can only be obtained through a close, personal relationship with Jesus, who then gives us an open door into the throne room of our Father in Heaven, with whom there is no shadow of turning. He is pure light!
5. The fifth point of a ‘Perfect Gift” is that it also includes personalization of the connection between the Giver and the Recipient.
What does that mean? It means that the Father may give us the “Good and Perfect Gifts” but unless we are close enough to Him to know when they are offered, and near enough to receive them, they won’t do us much good in the end.
We have to have an up-close and very personal relationship with Jesus in order to obtain the “Good and Perfect” gift of redemption and salvation. It’s not enough to stand afar off and see with our mind and heart when Christ has done for us. WE have to draw nearer to the heart of God, to hear his heartbeat; draw closer to hear His voice; and draw even closer to have the very mind of Christ.
These gifts cannot be received if we do not fully surrender to Jesus, or if we ignore the times of prayer and drawing nearer to Him with all our heart.
It’s the same with receiving anything; any gift from the Lord. Unless our hearts are prepared to receive and we are fully in Christ, allowing Him to be the Lord of our Lives in every way, then we will never receive the fullness of operation of the Gifts of the Spirit, and we will never have the fullness of the Presence of the Lord upon us. We have to desire Jesus more than anything to receive all of Jesus that we could want!
6. The final point concerning the “Good and Perfect Gifts” that I want to make is that a perfect gift also must be in a very special Wrapping.
How could we ask for anything greater than the “Good and Perfect” gift on God’s own Son who was given to us wrapped in human flesh so that Jesus could know, feel and suffer all that we do in this world!
The eternal God, living in the spiritual, heavenly realm of holiness and righteousness, came down to this lost and dying world, took on the form of a man, just because He loved us and knew that only through His own death, burial and resurrection, could we ever have a chance to be reconciled back to the Father in Heaven.
That baby, lying in a manger, in a smelly stable, unknown to nearly everyone on earth at the time, was the “Good and Perfect Gift” in the Very Special, Perfect Wrapper of a body of flesh”.
It was a body that could suffer and die; but it was the perfect body that would never know sin until Jesus took the weight of the sin of the whole world upon himself. He who knew no sin; bore all our sin upon the cross; and paid our debt for that sin with His own “Good and Perfect” Blood!
Jesus Christ, the Very Son of God, is the greatest “Good and Perfect Gift” that mankind will ever receive, but Jesus will keep on giving, right on into eternity. Our Father in Heaven does not turn from Light, but the Light just keeps on growing forever!
Oh the riches of His grace! What wondrous, good and perfect gifts await those who serve the Lord?
It’s no wonder that Paul wrote the words of 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
One day we will be close enough to God to see it all clearly, to experience every good and perfect gift! Make sure that you are ready for that day! Make Jesus the center of your heart and life! He is your “Good and Perfect Gift”.
I may never be perfect in this life, but I can become good through Christ and be a faithful servant, and I’m looking to that day when Jesus will say, “..‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
