BiblicalInsights.net

Gift giving is a tradition this time of the year (December).  The emphasis is on generosity.  Many charitable groups are looking for donations.  Individuals are excited about giving and receiving gifts.  Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were brought by the wise men to the young Jesus close to the time of His birth.  Gifts involve an interesting dynamic between the giver, the gift itself and the receiver.  Giving begins in the heart of the giver.  A person decides to give and what to give.  This means that giving is a free act.  The gift is a windfall.  It is not earned nor merited.  It can take many forms but whatever form it takes, it is designed to be beneficial to the receiver.  The receiver completes the circle in the dynamic if the gift is received.  Most of the time, the gift is received with warmth and appreciation.  When the gift is received, the benefit or blessing enhances the value of the receiver.  However, sometimes the gift is rejected.  Whenever this happens, the giver is often rebuffed and offended.  The rejection of goodwill and grace is never welcomed.  When the receiver rejects the gift, he/she robs himself/herself of the benefits of receiving the gift which could be detrimental to the welfare of the recipient.  Sometimes people do not act for their own good.
The Greatest Giver
The greatest giver is God!  This is the conclusion of the proper reasoning about both creation and redemption.  Consider Ps. 104:28, where God is depicted with open hands and His hands are filled with good.  Or, consider Rom. 11:29, where Paul affirms that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  In James 1:17, James affirms that every good gift and perfect gift is from the Father of lights.  God is constant in giving us the best of heaven.  The heart of God is exposed in the giving of spiritual gifts that are freely bestowed and priceless.  God is magnanimous in His giving.   He does not hold back the best of heaven from His creature–man.
God Gave His Son.  John 3:16.  “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:9-10).  God’s gift–Jesus Christ–is the means of our redemption.  Our redemption is priceless and so is the unspeakable gift of God’s Son (II Cor. 9:15).  Human language is at a loss to describe the wonder and magnificence of this priceless gift.  This gift is the means of spiritual life and eternal life (I John 5:10-11).
God Gave Us a Savior.   Eph. 5:25
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Eph. 5:25).  Christ’s sacrifice was a selfless act of love to put away our sin.  “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26).  We are redeemed by His blood.  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7).  Forgiveness by God is priceless and it is essential for our salvation!
God Gave His Grace.  Eph. 2:8-9.
“For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).  Grace is God’s favor freely bestowed upon those who stand in need of His saving power.  The reception of this grace is dependent upon the faith and obedience of the human heart in response to God’s love.  God’s grace is not limited.  His grace is not a one-time experience.  His grace is continually available to Christians after its initial reception providing for continual cleansing by the blood of Christ (I John 1:7-9).
God Gave His Spirit.  Acts 2:38
The gift of God’s Spirit is a promise that is received only by those who have obeyed the gospel.  Those who obey the Gospel (manifest faith in the Lord, love Him supremely, repent of their sins, confess Christ and are baptized into Christ) not only receive the remission of sins, but they receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him” (Acts 5:32).  “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).  The Holy Spirit is a seal (denotes ownership).  The Holy Spirit is an intercessor (Rom. 8:26) aiding our prayers.  The Holy Spirit strengthens us with might in the inner man (Eph. 3:16).  The Holy Spirit is a priceless gift!
God Gives His Word.  James 1:17-18.
God begets us by His Word.  The germ of spiritual life is in the seed of the Word of God.  The seed begets us.  The Word of truth enlightens us and guides us into the pathway of righteousness.   The gospel of Christ is God’s way of making people righteous (Rom. 1:16-17).  “Buy the truth and sell it not!” (Prov. 23:23).  The truth is priceless!
God Gives Eternal Life Through His Son.  Rom. 6:23; I John 5:10-11.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Rom. 6:23).  “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (I John 5:10-11).  Eternal life is a quality of spiritual life and involves being in the presence of God forever.  It is free from:  tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain for the former things are passed away (Rev. 21:4).  Eternal life is priceless!
God Gives Us Richly All Things To Enjoy.  I Tim. 6:16-17
Paul charges the rich to glorify God with their riches.  God gives us richly all things to enjoy!  The blessings of God are meant to be enjoyed.  Of course, this precludes sinful pursuits.  God wants us to enjoy the good things that He provides for us.  The true disciple of Jesus who puts the kingdom of God and His righteousness first in life, has the promise that all “these things” will be added unto him (Mt. 6:33).  “These things” refers to food, clothing and shelter.  God will provide through His grace.  God sustains us.  These blessings are not meant to ruin and rule us.  They are to be received with thanksgiving and used to God’s glory (I Cor. 10:31).  God’s blessings are priceless!
God’s gifts:  His Son, Our salvation through His Son, His grace, His Spirit, His Word, eternal life and every good and perfect gift are priceless!  They are freely given.  They are the means of our spiritual wealth through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3; II Cor. 8:9).  They must be received through love, faith and obedience to God’s Holy Word.  God has opened His hands to bless us with His goodness.  We must open our hearts to receive with meekness and humility the wonderful blessings God bestows.  When we do so, we enrich our souls for eternity.

In art, sometimes the beauty of an object is highlighted by contrasting through color, light, or some other medium.  In language, the same is true.  The beauty of a concept can be seen more brightly through its contrast or its opposite. The beauty of thanksgiving can be seen by observing its contrast: ingratitude.
Where Are The Nine?  Luke 17:11-19.
Jesus heals ten lepers, one of whom is a Samaritan, and he is the only one who returns to thank the Lord for the physical healing.  Lepresy was a dreaded disease in Jesus’ day.  There was no cure for it.  It produced misery physically and socially.  A leper became a social outcast and was separated from the life of the community and religious activities.  Lepers had no hope.  The compassion of Jesus for these individuals led Him to heal them.  The healing was dramatic and it was discovered as they followed Jesus’ command to go and show themselves to the priest to confirm their physical well-being.  As they went, they were healed.  Only one returned to thank Jesus for the. miracle that would have radically changed each of their lives.  This prompted Jesus ask, “Where are the nine?”  The one who returned to Jesus was a Samaritan.  Jesus showed compassion to him without any prejudice.  Whenever the Samaritan returned to Jesus in gratitude, he received an even greater blessing.  Gratitude completed the circle of fellowship with the Lord.  The Lord said to him, “Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.”  This statement meant more than the physical healing.  All ten had received the miracle of healing.  Only the Samaritan received spiritual healing and was made completely whole.  Ingratitude robs of fellowship with God and all the spiritual blessings that God has to offer.  The beauty of gratitude is that it brings us back to God who blessed us in the first place.  This completes the circle of fellowship with God whereby we can obtain even greater blessings.  Physical healing is a wonderful blessing, but, spiritual healing (forgiveness) is even more precious.
The Danger of Riches in Producing Ingratitude.  Mark 10:17-22.  
The rich man Jesus encountered in this narrative wanted to know what he had to do to obtain eternal life.  He desires to know how to pursue the ultimate quest of the human heart–everlasting life.  At first, Jesus directs him to the Law of Moses (the law he lived under at the time) and to keep covenant with God (obey the commandments in the law).  The man replied that he had done so from his youth up.  Jesus perceived the he lacked one thing.  He told him to, “go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me” (Mk. 10:21).  The man went away sorrowful, because he had great riches.  Jesus loved this man (Mk. 10:21), but, this man did not love the Lord back.  He failed to see that his riches were a blessing from God.  His ingratitude due to covetousness led him to reject the love of Jesus and the gift of everlasting life.  Covetousness is linked to lovelessness.  Lack of love for the Lord fails to complete the circle of fellowship with the Lord that leads to everlasting life.  The beauty of gratitude is that it is an act of love that binds us to the Lord so that we can have everlasting life with the Lord.
Ugly Bed-Fellows.  II Tim. 3:2.
The word “unthankful” is found twice in the KJV:  Luke 6:35 and II Tim. 3:2.  In II Tim. 3:2, the word “unthankful” is associated with eighteen other sins.  These sins would characterize the “last days” or the Christian Age.  Ingratitude is a sin that keeps company with many other ugly traits: lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, and lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Ingratitude corrupts the heart and turns it against God.  The beauty of gratitude is that it comes from a pure heart out of which God is praised.  “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17).  God blesses us and, then, we bless God.  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).  God blesses us, and, then, we bless God.  The cycle is repeated over and over again.  Gratitude is a key aspect of faithfulness to God!
Despising The Goodness of God.  Luke 6:35 and Rom. 2:4.
In Luke 6:35, ingratitude is associated with evil. God is good.  He does good even to the unthankful and evil person.  They are the recipients of temporal blessings (rain and sunshine–Mt. 5:45).  In Rom. 2:4, Paul exposes the link between ingratitude and impenitence.  “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing the the goodness of God leadest thee to repentance?”  Those who despise the riches of God’s goodness will not repent.  “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom. 2:5).  Despising the goodness of God reveals an even bigger heart problem–rebellion against God.  Gratitude brings us closer to God where we are drawn by the goodness of God to change our lives to live in conformity with God’s will.  The beauty of gratitude is that it is the pathway to oneness with God!
The Dark Path.  Rom. 1:21.
The dark path is marked by ingratitude.  “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.  And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:21-23).  Ingratitude led to idolatry and the dark path that is associated with it.  Idolatry involves both moral and religious corruption.  The beauty of gratitude is that it marks the path of righteousness that both pursues and preserves relationship with God.
The Beauty of Thanksgiving.
The beauty of thanksgiving is seen in that it: completes the circle of fellowship with God which ushers in even greater blessings from God; it is an act of love that binds us to the Lord and makes everlasting life possible; it is associated with worship of God and keeps us faithful to God; it recognizes God’s goodness which compels us to change our lives and live in oneness with God, and it marks the pathway of righteousness that both pursues and preserves relationship with God.