- Blakeyblog - http://www.blakeyblog.com -

God’s Love is Giving

Posted By Christa Blakey On August 7, 2006 @ 9:32 pm In blakeyblog | 1 Comment

This week I’m helping out with our church’s kids Bible camp “Camp Compass.” Each day’s activities are geared around a theme, this year is a study of God’s love and the specific aspect today was–God’s love is giving. I was encouraged by the way the teachers wanted the campers to recognize all that God has given to them, especially the ultimate gift, the Savior. I often think that the Lord works in themes with me because this concept of giving has been something in the forefront of my thoughts as I’ve encountered it several time the last week in reading or conversation. What is interesting to me is how we cannot give anything to God that He needs, and anything that we have to give, He gave to us in the first place.

In Matt Redman’s song “Breathing the Breath” he writes–

We have nothing to give
That didn’t first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You
Which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from
Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours

This perspective on giving is absolute. Everything I have God has given me. This song is referencing James 1:17,

“Every good and perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there us no variation or shadow of turning.”

Everything, even difficulty and trials, is from God. Verses 12-16 give some context to this verse in saying that the man who endures trials or temptations is blessed. No temptation is from God because God is not tempted nor does He tempt anyone. James says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” When I saw that verse I understood more what a wonderful statement verse 17 is.
We are sinful and weak. We give in to temptation, not because our circumstances made us or because God stopped being good to us. We sin because of our own wicked hearts. And though we are so unholy and always shifting, God remains good and perfect and all that He gives us reflects His steadiness for all of time.

The second verse of Matt Redman’s song says–

Who has given to You
That it should be paid back to him?
Who has given to You
As if You needed anything?
From You, and to You, and through You
Come all things, O Lord
And all we do is give back to You
What always has been Yours

God doesn’t need anything from us. There isn’t anything we can give to Him that isn’t already His. This part brings to mind John 1:3 which speaks of Jesus being the origin of everything that exists.

“All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

God doesn’t need anything from us but He desires a relationship with us. In this we see the ultimate measure of His giving love. John 3:16 tells us that He gave all for us when He gave His perfect and only Son to die in our place, paying the price for our sin to make that relationship possible.
“For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God doesn’t need anything, but He desires our worship. John 4:23 says, “…the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” He is holy and perfect and we must worship Him. He is deserving of all worship. When we consider His redemption, forgiveness, and His love that continues to give though we don’t deserve, what other response could we have than worship? I need to cultivate this big view of how giving God’s love is. I think if I considered this more that I wouldn’t complain nearly as much and I would be humbled to see that I don’t really deserve anything. He has given me so much and each new day is a reminder of His grace to me. He’s given me breath, what else can I do but give it back to Him…

Lord, we’re breathing the breath
That You gave us to breath
To worship You, to worship You

Article printed from Blakeyblog: http://www.blakeyblog.com

URL to article: http://www.blakeyblog.com/2006/08/07/gods-love-is-giving/