Gifts

My children love to give me gifts. The younger they are, the more enthusiastic the giving and the more frequent the gifts. And the younger they are, the less recognizable the gift (think of a picture drawn by a two-year-old: what, exactly, is it a picture of?) and the less likely it is something I really need. That doesn't make the gift less appreciated nor does it reduce my enjoyment of it. The gift is from the heart and it always receives a prominent place on my refrigerator or somewhere else in the house.

In Genesis 18:1-8 God appears to Abraham together with two angels. Like a young child with a heart set to please, Abraham hurries to prepare a feast for them. I'm sure that neither God Himself nor the angels had any need of food. But that didn't even cross Abraham's mind. He just wanted to bless his guests so he gave what would have been happy to receive. And just as you and I are with our children, God was delighted to accept Abraham's heart-felt gift. God didn't point out that He had no need for it or chastise Abraham for not knowing Him better. God just enjoyed it.

We have opportunities every day to bless God with our gifts. They can be meals we make, jokes we tell, cleaning we do, even the job we perform (and get paid for!). The gifts we give God can be anything and everything. We needn't wonder if God needs them or if they are something He specifically calls for in the Bible. If we are excited to give them to God, He is delighted to receive them.

God may not need food but I'm thinking He has a big refrigerator that He’d love to decorate :).