So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures. James 1:16-18 (The Message)
“Since God knew that man is enticed by favors, He wished to bind him to His love by means of His gifts… He gave Him a soul, made in His likeness, and endowed with memory, intellect, and will; He gave him a body equipped with the senses; it was for him that He created heaven and earth and such abundance of things. He made all the things out of love for man, so that all creation might serve man, and man in turn might love God out of gratitude for so many gifts.”
Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) in Practice as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 234.
Today’s post comes with a friendly warning in life after Easter. As you walk with God, don’t be surprised if He showers you with gifts. Receive them. Enjoy them. But don’t stop there!
Share them as well. Because whatever we hold onto tends to get a hold onto us. The gifts can replace the Giver in our hearts. Don’t let it happen. What’s the remedy to avoid this problem.
You guessed it. Generous giving. As God blesses you. Respond lovingly. Imitate His generosity by giving gifts from what you have. See what happens. Join me in cultivating gratitude and generosity.