Pentecost 16 James 1:17-27 Perfect Gifts From Above

James 1:17-27 Isaiah 35:4-7a Mark 7:31-37 

I am sure all of you have received a gift sometime during your life that you really liked. And I would hazard to say that you have given someone a gift that they truly loved and appreciated. There are times in our lives when we struggle over choosing just the right gifts to give to the special people in our lives. But let me ask you, have you ever received a gift that was totally perfect?  What kind of gift would it have to be for you to call it perfect? 

Perhaps it would be a practical gift that you could make good use of. It would be a gift that you open up, look at and say, “This is just beautiful, and it is something that I’ve wanted all my life.” Would that make it perfect? Or what if it is a gift that carries a lot of tender feelings with it; given to you by someone very special and it was a complete surprise when it was given. You’ll treasure it always, not because it is something you always wanted, but because you will always remember that someone did something special for you for no other reason than they did it out of their love for you. Would that make it a perfect gift?

Several years ago on "Good Morning, America," Joan Lunden displayed some gift ideas that the world might call perfect. They were extraordinary gifts that some of you might want to include on your gift list.

One of them was a Jaguar automobile. For a deposit of just $80,000, the dealer will put your name on a waiting list. Then when they deliver your automobile, you are expected to pay the balance of $507,000. Of course that was several years ago—prices have gone up since then. Now that would certainly be an impressive gift, but without a doubt, it would not be the perfect gift to have here in the mountains of Colorado during a winter snowstorm.

Surely we have all received gifts that we thought would bring us happiness and contentment, but although they may have been good gifts, they all seem to fall short of being perfect to the point of everlasting pleasure.

Even gifts that some think are perfect often lose their luster after a short time and leave us wanting something more or something different. Therein lies the problem.  It seems that we humans are constantly changing our minds about what is a good and what is a perfect gift.

There are gifts however, that can give us eternal contentment. These are gifts that Saint James calls good and perfect. He tells you, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God gives us good and perfect gifts as only God can. His definitions of goodness and perfection remain constant. God never changes His definitions or takes back His promises.  God wants to give His gifts to His creation out of His love for mankind. God gave the world the gift of life. Remember God created everything and saw that it was good. However, Satan sin and death entered into God’s perfect world and everything changed including our ideas and desires.

Therefore when we are tempted over some sinful thing we want or would like to do, we are inclined not to listen to God.  Temptations that lead God’s children away from the Father do not come from Him. Satan, in his craftiness, takes advantage of our changing attitudes and desires and he helps us to close our ears to God’s word.  Even so, when we do try to obey God’s word, we fall short of perfection.  We are not always good and we certainly are not perfect.  Therefore we can never give a good and perfect gift without divine help.  Good and perfect gifts can only come from God Himself.

James tells you that every good gift comes from God. And Jesus alludes to that when He tells you, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

So God the Father gave us the good and perfect Law to show us that we are not and cannot be perfect.  He sent His one and only Son into the world to obey that law perfectly for us. And Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross, thereby becoming the perfect sacrifice for all who would hear His word. Furthermore God sent the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to believe in the work of Jesus Christ.

His greatest gift to us from heaven is salvation. It does not matter how evil the world becomes or how much it tries to distract us from the word of God. It does not matter that the world’s evil is constantly knocking at the Christian’s heart and demanding an invitation to enter. There is still only one changeless salvation that comes to us from heaven.  It comes through the good act of giving on the part of God the Father and the perfect gift of Jesus that the Father gave for your salvation.

God’s gift of salvation carries a lot of tender feelings with it; given to you by someone very special Jesus Christ Himself. It is a gift that believers treasure always and what makes it so special is that you will always remember that Jesus Christ died for you for no other reason than He did it out of His love for you. It is also a gift that opens up your heart, so that you can look and say, “This is just beautiful, and it is something that I will cherish forever.” That makes it a good and a perfect gift.

The good news is that God continues to give His gifts through His word that instructs us in the redemption of Jesus so that faith in Jesus is created and sustained in us. The intended result of God’s good giving and perfect gift of salvation is that “we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created.”

That means we do not live as the world lives, but we live for Jesus Christ; planting the seeds of goodness by living a God pleasing life.  We do the work He has set before us by believing in Him and living according to His Commandments. 

The challenge for all of us is to live in a manner that draws those who have not heard about Jesus Christ to want to know more about our Lord and Savior.  As James tells us, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

So we do more than just speak the truth in love, we try and live up to the good and perfect gifts that God has already given us for the sake of those who have not had their hearts opened up to receive God’s gifts. The world would be a much better place if we would not only listen to what God has told us but also to put His words into practice for the sake of Jesus Christ.