12^th January

“You parents – if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”

Matthew 7:9-11

Jesus, in His sermon on the mount, addresses the issue of giving (and asking). He alludes to a parent and child relationship as an example to explain His message. He asks His audience a rhetorical question, ‘if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake?’. The obvious answer of any good parent would be ‘of course not’ right? Parents want to give their children the best they have to offer. Jesus then explains that, if we as sinful people (compared to God), know how to give good gifts, then can you imagine how much more our Heavenly Father has in store for us?

Yet there are two problems with this example. Firstly – What if my earthly parents did give me a ‘stone’ when I asked for bread? Secondly – I feel to ashamed to ask God for anything.

The great news to both those questions, is that God is a kind, generous and compassionate Father. He truly does want to give us good gifts. The greatest gift He gave us was Jesus; so if that is a measure of His goodness, can you imagine what else He has in store for us. Our earthly parents may not have set a good model of generosity, but as we grow in our understanding of who God is, we soon discover what a wonderfully generous God we serve. So much so that Jesus Himself tells us that we should not hesitate to ask God for anything in faith, ‘Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for.’ Know this; God wants to bless us with every good and perfect gift. He wants to shower His love and kindness over His beloved children. We are His children. Let us open our arms and hearts to receive all that He has for us.