John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God gave us His son, the sacrificial love of God, who sent His only son to die in our place. When we come to Jesus in repentance and are saved, every sin we have ever committed or will ever commit has been paid for at the cross. 

Jesus gave His life on the cross; He alone bled and died for our sins. Our shame and punishment were put on him. As his children, we will never suffer our just punishment for our sins. 

Already, we see we have been given so much. To think that God’s sacrificial love would send his son to die, and that Jesus would willingly lay down his life. But God gives us so much more. Because of His great love for us, we have all we need and are made complete in Him.

God gives us spiritual gifts. These gifts strengthen our faith and walk with Christ.  These gifts empower us and help us to serve and love others well. He has gifted each of us with different gifts, talents, and abilities. Our loving and kind heavenly Father equips each of us to love and serve.

1 Corinthians 12:4 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.” 

Romans 12:6 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith.”

1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift  is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”

God gives His children love and compassion, and equips them with love and compassion to be poured out on others. We should reflect His love to others in the same way we receive it from Him. As we experience God’s compassion towards us, it helps us to be compassionate towards others he places in our path. We need to always be conduits of his love in our lives.

1 John 4:9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 13:10 “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

God has also given us joy and peace.  In  the world, we find chaos all around us. Even today, we have wars going on, and people who are confused about who God made them to be. Joy and peace are not just ideas to reach for, but deep-rooted truths for every believer.  We can find contentment even when things are hard or confusing. When we put our trust in God, He gives us joy and peace in the good seasons of life and the hard seasons of life. It is in reading His word that we are reminded of who he is and who we are, and all the promises he has given to his children. Even on our worst day, we can have God’s joy and peace, because we have read his word and know that He is always with us, He will not forsake us, and we know our future.

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

John 15:13 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Nehemiah 8:10 “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

God gives us provision and blessings. Because God has promised to supply all our needs, we can rest knowing that even before the request is on our lips, He knows. He provides for our daily needs and even those unforeseen needs that may be around the corner. We have the everyday things we can see and feel he provides, but we also have relationships, opportunities, and experiences that all come from Him. He gives us blessings upon blessings, and we need to stare at those and remember on our hard days that “this too shall pass.” He even gives us wisdom for all of life’s questions and decisions when we ask.

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 6:31-33 “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagabs run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Matthew 7:11 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

God also gives us strength and courage.  All of us at one time or another will feel like we just cannot do one more thing, experience one more hard day, or we will feel afraid, maybe because of a bad medical report, or we have lost a job. There are many things in life that can cause us to feel weak and afraid.  We have various challenges throughout our lives that give us cause for pause. Times when we must once again remember that God has promised to be with us, and provide all we have need of, even strength and courage.

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us  a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Psalm 18:1-2 “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

He also gives us hope for the future. Hope is a wonderful gift that God gives us and grows in us as we read his word. We can look forward into our future, as we read his word and see that we have a bright hope and future home with him for all eternity. We can rest assured that God’s plans for us will be fulfilled, not one of them forgotten. We can know that God is working every situation out for us. 

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Psalm 42:11 “Why,my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

He gives us family, community, and fellowship. When you become a part of a church family, it enhances your walk with Christ. You have other believers who can encourage you both in your daily walk and through some of life’s hardest moments. These relationships can often speak into our lives truths that we might dismiss from someone in our own family. We build one another up in our faith and love, and in sharing the good news of Jesus. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

Colossians 3:14 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

We can never say that God has left us to fend for ourselves. As believers, we have the power of Christ inside of us, the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in us. We have the Holy Spirit in us, guiding and teaching us, strengthening us for each day. We have been blessed with mighty prayer warriors found in the body of Christ. God knows our needs before we ask, and has promised to provide all we have need of, which is differnt that what we  want.  God has promised that no matter how bad this world we live in gets, he can keep us, grow us, use us, and get us all the way home to live with him forever. Even when death comes our way, he will lead us through that deep valley. 

I pray you are encouraged today. As you have been reminded of just some of what  our heavenly Father has given to us!