Christians are thankful people.

To be thankful is not simply to be glad or content. Thankfulness is always relational. At its weakest,
thankfulness is nothing more than polite acknowledgment. At its best, it is a heartfelt reflex to kindness
— a response to a gift given by someone who loves us.

The Bible tells us that,
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV).

Every good and perfect gift in your life — no matter how indirectly it arrives — comes from the
generous heart of your Heavenly Father. The “Father of lights,” the Creator who numbers the stars,
governs the universe, and sustains the world with a word, invites you to call Him “Abba” and treats
you as His dearly loved child (Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 147:4; Romans 8:15).

His gifts remind you of His affection. The God who created the heavens also bestows good and perfect gifts upon you.
What are these gifts?

Let’s reflect together. If you belong to Christ, God has given you little gifts, big gifts, eternal gifts,
and even “packaged gifts.” May this article stir your heart to thoughtful gratitude for all the blessings
God pours out each day.

Little Things

The “little things” God gives us are only little by comparison to His greater gifts.

Scripture asks us, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7, ESV).
Every bit of good in your life, every joy — however ordinary — was ultimately given by God.
We swim in His kindness every single day.

Consider a few simple examples:

• Did you put on comfortable socks this morning?
• Did you drink something warm on a cold day, or cold on a hot day?
• Did you sleep well?
• Did someone smile at you or show you kindness?
• Did you listen to music you enjoy?
• Did you enjoy a good meal?

Every one of these is a gift from the Father’s hand. Anything good, everything good in your life is a gift,
albeit indirectly, from God.

Reflection: Take a moment and write down fifteen “little gifts” God has given you today.

Big Things

Cozy socks are wonderful, but God gives far more than daily comforts.

Jesus reminds us that the Father,
“causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”
(Matthew 5:45, ESV). We assume the sun will rise tomorrow only because God is faithful — so faithful that
His generosity can become invisible to us.

God promised that as long as the earth remains,
“seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease”
(Genesis 8:22, NIV). Your ability to see, walk, think, breathe, work, and live inside a created world that holds
together moment by moment — these are all gifts.

“He upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3, ESV).
We do not maintain these gifts. God does.

Think of some of the “big” sustaining gifts in your life:

• Can you see, hear, or speak clearly?
• Do you have feeling and strength in your hands and feet?
• Do you live in a home?
• Do you have work or provision?
• Do you have transportation?

God daily extends unconditional generosity toward you through every natural function of the human body,
every second that He keeps the universe going, and every routine good you experience.

Reflection: Pause and name ten “constant gifts” God sustains for you each day.

Eternal Things

God gives daily pleasures and sustaining mercies — but His greatest gifts are eternal.

The “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” has
“blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3, ESV).

If you belong to Christ, then:

• You have been saved from God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
• Every sin has been nailed to the cross and buried forever (Colossians 2:14; Micah 7:19).
• You have hope beyond death and the promise of a resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:50–56).
• God Himself dwells in you by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
• You have eternal life in Christ (1 John 5:11).
• You live at peace with God (Romans 5:1).
• You are a beloved child of God forever (1 John 3:1).

Dear friend, God loves you.

God loves you.

God loves you.

Think on that.

He not only gives gifts — He gives Himself. His generosity toward you endures into eternity.
From now until then, He has not just given you gifts; He has given you Himself.

Reflection: What is one spiritual blessing in Christ you could thank God for all day long?

Packaged Gifts

God gives sweet gifts, sustaining gifts, and eternal gifts — but He also gives gifts in strange packaging.

James 1:17, the verse that tells us every good and perfect gift is from above, lives in a paragraph about trials.
That is no mistake. Often the good and perfect gifts God intends for our souls come wrapped in suffering.

Jesus assures us that trials are not tricks from a cruel Father (Matthew 7:9–11). Paul tells us that God works
all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Hebrews shows us that hardship produces maturity, holiness, and
likeness to Christ (Hebrews 12:11).

Many of God’s richest gifts — contentment, peace, patience, wisdom, endurance, joy — are forged
in the fire of loneliness, loss, sickness, grief, and pain.

Without God, suffering crushes. With God, suffering becomes a servant that delivers grace.

Reflection: Think of your greatest current trial. Even if you cannot yet see any good in it,
you can cling to this truth: God is good, He is with you, and He will redeem what hurts most
(Psalm 27:13–14; Nahum 1:7).

Take a moment to thank Him — not for the pain itself — but for His promise to meet you in it,
sustain you through it, and one day show you how He used it for your eternal good.

Give Thanks

When we pause and consider God’s generosity — His little gifts, big gifts, eternal gifts, and packaged
gifts — thankfulness flows easily.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”
(1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV).

Give thanks in the car. Give thanks while you walk. Give thanks with a pen in your journal.
Give thanks in silent reflection.

Thank Him for the gifts you can see — and for the grace to trust Him when you cannot.
Our lists may end, but God’s gifts never do.

He will surely keep giving — little, big, eternal, and packaged — because His heart toward His children
never changes. And so we always have reason to give thanks.

For more from our latest series please visit: Gratitude That Endures: Cultivating Thankful Hearts in Christ