Every Good and Perfect Gift…

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”
James 1:17-19 New Living Translation

I loved summer vacations spent with my grandparents in Minnesota. It was fun to stay in a cabin on a lake, catch fish, and shop locally for handmade and unusual items. One summer the women in the family were shopping at a cluster of cabins that sold handmade candles, jellies and an eclectic group of stuffed bears sitting on a wooden shelf. My grandmother picked one up and admired it. We chatted about the bear and I found out she never had a stuffed bear or any stuffed animal as a child. This was inconceivable to me, for she sent me a new stuffed Easter bunny every year for 15 years. As we were leaving I snuck back into the shop and bought the bear in the photo. Later that afternoon, as my grandmother was napping, I slipped into her room and propped it by her side so she would see it when she woke up. She loved it!

The bear spent many years living on her couch in Nebraska. To her it was a prized possession, not just because she liked the bear but because her granddaughter had given it to her. Years later she tried to give it back, but I declared that she needed the bear to hug and remember me. She agreed, but insisted that when she left this earth the bear would go home with me. When she passed away and we were sorting through her things, I searched for that bear. It was a bittersweet moment when I found it, but I took the bear home and it has lived with me since. When I look at that bear, I cherish the time I had with her and remember how much she loved me.

You and I are God’s prized possessions. We are, after all, fearfully and wonderfully made in his image. He found us worthy of creation. Our value does not diminish with age or time. I paid for the bear because I loved my grandmother and wanted her to have something special. God loved you so much more that He paid for you with the highest price—He paid with the lifeblood of His son Jesus! The cost was great but He believed you—His prized possession—were worth it! Every good and perfect thing is from God. He loves you still and has a perfect plan for you in His Kingdom. He wants to take you home to live with Him forever! Believe it, trust Him and cherish His great sacrifice of love this season of Lent.

Copyright text and photo Desiree Bustamante