“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).

When I was a child I loved getting gifts. Christmas was a much-anticipated holiday because I knew I would get presents. When Gwen and I had daughters I found out what this verse is about. I loved giving them gifts. The highlight of Christmas was seeing their joy when they opened their presents.
Jesus was saying that fathers love to give gifts, even though they are not perfect. Dads, with all their weaknesses and failures, give to their children. Then, Jesus revealed an amazing truth—God is like that! God loves to give good gifts to His children. He is a Gift-Giver.

I have read books in which writers complain about people coming to Jesus just for the gifts He gives. They need a New Testament! Receiving God’s gifts is a significant part of the Christian package. The reason we love to give gifts is because our heavenly Father has passed that characteristic along to us. Jesus told us to evaluate the highest levels of our own generosity, then consider God’s willingness to give. “How much more” means that God wants to give far more than my most generous inclinations.

If God is a Giver, what does that mean for us? He wants us to be receivers. That requires humility on our part to just say “Thank You.” The most popular verse in the New Testament confirms what Jesus said in Matthew. He told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave….” (John 3:16). I was blessed to have a giving earthly father. I am blessed beyond measure to have a heavenly Father with an immeasurable capacity to give!