Weekly Overview:

　　As children of the Most High God, we have been granted access to unconditional, tangible, and perfect love. All we need we have in relationship with our Father in heaven. He longs to reveal himself to us as a loving, real Father. He longs for us to live in the fullness of restored relationship with him. He longs for us to experience his vast and limitless affections. May we grow in our understanding and experience of God as our good and loving Father this week as we look at what it is to be his child.

　　Scripture:“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

　　Devotional:

　　Our Father loves to bless his children. All that we have has been given to us because our Father loves us unconditionally. In Matthew 7:7-11 Jesus says,

　　Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

　　One of the most important spiritual principles for Christians is that God is good and he gives his children good gifts. With all the depravity, pain, suffering, and wrong in the world, we must establish the unshakable goodness of our heavenly Father as our foundation. The blessings of our Father are vast and numerous. Oftentimes he blesses us in ways that go unnoticed. From a light rain or a cool breeze to an unexpected gift or miraculous healing, our God is constantly working to turn the evil in this world for our good.

　　James 1:17 says, “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.”The world will try to tell you that God plays favorites. It will look at the life of one and compare it to another as if it were every person’s destiny to be the wealthiest and most successful person in the world’s eyes. God blesses us in far greater ways than worldly success and wealth. He is concerned with that which is eternal and will actually produce the abundant life your heart truly desires. And while provision in this world is most definitely important and God promises to provide every thing we need physically, he has not promised to make you a success in the eyes of the world. He has only promised that if you follow him he will guide you to the best possible life filled with the fullness of relationship with him, purpose, and every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).

　　If we truly take stock of our lives compared to what we deserve, we will begin to better see the incredible blessings given to us by our loving heavenly Father. Allow God to guide you away from the pursuit of that which is fleeting so that you might be filled with greater depths of joy at the abundance of eternal life and blessings which are yours in Christ Jesus.

　　Take time today to reflect on the blessings you’ve been given by your Father. Allow him to shift your pursuits away from earthly wealth and success toward that which will actually satisfy you for all of eternity. May you be filled with joy and thanksgiving in light of the wonderful gifts you’ve been given by your good and loving Father.

　　Guided Prayer:

　　1. Reflect on the blessings you’ve been given by your heavenly Father.Take time to really think about all that your God has done for you.

　　“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”Ephesians 1:3-4

　　“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

　　“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”Psalm 84:11

　　2. Ask the Lord to help you shift your pursuit away from earthly wealth and success that you might receive to greater measure the joy and blessings he longs to give you.In what ways have you been pursuing the things of the world over the things of God? What worldly pursuit has captured your attention and is guiding you away from the abundant life God longs to provide for you?

　　3. Take time to receive the love of your heavenly Father and rest in his presence.Often it takes spending time in God’s loving presence to have our perspectives and pursuits shift. Communion with our Father changes everything.

　　“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”Psalm 16:11

　　“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”Jeremiah 29:13

　　“And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”Exodus 33:14

　　When we allow God to free us from pursuing worldly success and pleasing others, we experience to greater depths the joy of relational living. When relationship with our Father is our chief goal and sole desire, we position ourselves to live joyfully and satisfied in every season and circumstance. May you follow the Lord’s leadership into a life of greater joy and peace. And may your eyes be opened to the wealth of blessings given you by your loving, near, and good Father.

　　Extended Reading:Matthew 6

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