04/03/2024 – Good and Perfect Gifts From the Father
James 1:17 NIRV
17 Every good and perfect gift is from God. This kind of gift comes down from the Father who created the heavenly lights. These lights create shadows that move. But the Father does not change like these shadows.
October 2021 marks the 15th anniversary that Harvest Church has become an official congregation in Wappingers Falls, NY. What first started out as a small bible study grew into a flourishing congregation where families and individuals grow to seek God wholeheartedly to this day.
What a good and perfect gift this is directly from God our Father where we, as a congregation, are able to be part of this moment while glorifying God. There will never be another time where we celebrate the 15th anniversary of Harvest Church and because of this moment, we are able to see God’s never-ending power and love work throughout the years.
One thing to note though is that sometimes we don’t like the good and perfect gifts that God gives us. A lot of the time we only want God to bless us the way that we want to be blessed and not how God wants it.
I will never forget the first time I preached at Harvest Church on a Sunday. While being completely nervous, afraid, and sweaty during my short 15-minute preaching, I knew that the gift that God had given me was for a reason. The gift that God gave me was and is good and perfect forever.
For many, the gifts that God gives don’t seem good and perfect because it brings us to an uncomfortable situation where we would rather just run and hide for eternity. Our physical bodies and minds overcome those gifts with fear and shame, and we are unable to proceed with the gift that God wants us to use.
It is beautiful to note that in this same verse, we understand that our Heavenly Father is a consistent and perfect God that never changes. Unlike the light we see with our physical eyes that create shadows and move, our God is a God whose promises are yes and amen and is unmovable. God is a God that never deceives or lies, just as Titus 1 states. God represents truth, life, and love for all the ages.