“…how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11, NIV)
Gifts for the golfer make up a category of their own in many catalogs and etail stores. But honestly, they present a trap for those who don’t know golf trying to shop well for those who do.
Golf balls with cute pictures or questionable expressions may be fun, but usually they’re not much good to actually play the game with, being that they’re typically printed on the $10-per-dozen variety.
Barbecue tools with golf balls on the handles do the trick for turning steaks, but what I really wanted was a new shaft for my driver. Come to think of it, if you were the one who bought me the grilling gear, you probably weren’t the one who should be selecting my golf equipment. So on second thought, thanks for the spatula!
The beauty of living in God’s kingdom is that he really does know what is best for us. We can count on him to give us just what we need.
Like the gifts we receive from friends and family, God’s gifts may come in two common varieties: gifts to be enjoyed and gifts to be used.
In your life, your daughter may give you some photographs of your grandchildren, for instance. There’s no practical use for those photographs. Rather, those smiles are meant to be displayed and enjoyed. Likewise, God often gives us special moments of his sure presence, say, or confirmations in our spirit that we are on the right path. A friend may turn to Jesus, and together we celebrate their new birth—what a gift that is! These are gifts from the Lord, meant to be enjoyed.
In your life, you may also receive gifts that are very useful: a cookbook full of tasty recipes, a massaging seat cover for long drives in your car, a putter that feels good in your hands and actually sends balls into the cup. Again, God gives gifts like these. In fact, Paul wrote in several places of the gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows on his people. These gifts are meant for one great working purpose: to minister to our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and thus to honor the Lord in doing so.
In either case, God knows just what he is giving us and just why we need it. In fact, his gifts all have a way teaching and training us for what comes next in our lives. This is why even the gifts that come wrapped in a package we might call “testing” serve God’s own work in our lives.
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Jeff Hopper
September 18, 2012
Copyright 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.