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)

This time of year is all about gifts. It seems like every year, stores put out their holiday displays earlier in the season. It won’t be long before merchants will have year-round Christmas displays.

I admit that, while I love my family dearly, and Christmas morning is so much fun watching the excited faces of my children, the thought of all the gift-giving at Christmas is overwhelming to me. There are years I would love to skip the whole process.

This passage from James tells us everything we need to know about finding the perfect gift. Our first clue is that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father. If I’m caught up in too much worry about material gifts, right away I can know it’s not about what God wants, but more about my own concerns for what other people will think of me and my presents.

The second part of this passage says with the Father, there is no variation or shadow because of change. God does not change. He is constant. So much in our world seems to shift and change faster than we can keep up with it, just like the Christmas displays that come too soon.

God is constant and does not change. We can count on Him and His steady presence throughout our lives.

God’s presence is the perfect gift.

God’s presence is the perfect gift. Click To Tweet

Dear Father, This time of year it’s easy to get caught up in all the busy gift giving. Help me to remember that your presence is the ultimate gift. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.