The Bible verse Matthew 7:11 states, “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!” This verse provides deep insight into the nature of God as our loving Heavenly Father, and how He desires to generously provide for His children. Let’s explore what it means when the Bible says God gives good gifts.
God is a Generous and Loving Father
This verse first establishes that human parents, despite being imperfect and sinful, still have the natural inclination to give good gifts to their children. Parents want to provide the best for their children – nutritious food, warm clothing, a safe home, toys and happy memories. Even evil, selfish parents still feel this urge to care for their own offspring. So if sinful human parents have this desire built into them, how much more does our perfect, holy, loving Heavenly Father wish to give good gifts to His children!
God is the ultimate model of parenthood. He exhibits the best qualities of fathers and mothers to the highest divine degree. He loves unconditionally, protects faithfully, provides abundantly, comforts gently, teaches wisely and disciplines perfectly. God embodies pure, selfless parental love and generosity on a cosmic scale. Unlike selfish earthly parents, God has infinite resources to give, unending love to bestow, and perfect wisdom to know exactly what gifts we need and when we need them.
God Gives Us Good Gifts to Meet Our Needs
A good parent does not give gifts capriciously just to spoil their child, but discerns what gifts would truly benefit their child. In the same way, our Heavenly Father gives good gifts that are tailored to our personal needs. Jesus said God gives “good things” to His children. The word translated good refers to that which is intrinsically excellent, virtuous, morally upright and beneficial.
God promises to supply all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Our most fundamental needs are spiritual – forgiveness, salvation, grace, hope, faith. God meets these core needs and more through Christ. On top of that, He provides amply for our physical, emotional, relational and practical everyday needs. But He gives wisely, in alignment with His perfect will and timing, not gratifying every fleshly desire.
God’s gifts enrich our lives and equip us for greater fulfillment of His purposes. His gifts are good because they demonstrate His loving care, build our character, and empower us to bless others. Even disciplining gifts, though painful, produce righteousness and peace in us (Hebrews 12:11). God promises to work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). So we can trust that even in hardship, He is giving good gifts tailored for our eternal benefit.
God Gives Good Gifts to His Children When We Ask
This verse also contains the beautiful promise that God gives good gifts “to those who ask Him.” Asking indicates humility, dependence and childlike trust. God is ready to lavish gifts on His beloved children, but He wants us to ask and acknowledge our need. Although God knows what we need before we ask, He delights in our dependent prayers, which draw us into closer relationship with Him.
Jesus tells us to keep asking, seeking and knocking, with the assurance that our Heavenly Father will give generously (Matthew 7:7-11). He exhorts us to persist in prayer with faith and confidence that God hears and will answer in His perfect timing and way. When we come before God’s throne of grace in humility and boldness, sincerely seeking His gifts, we can trust Him to provide exceedingly beyond what we could imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
God’s Good Gifts Reflect His Generous Character
This verse reveals that God’s heart overflows with benevolence, grace and generosity. He loves to bless His children. James 1:17 describes God as the Giver of every good and perfect gift. There is no limit to God’s giveness. He showers blessings constantly, more than we can grasp. His gifts go far beyond material provision, extending into every realm of life – relationships, abilities, experiences, beauty and wisdom.
God also redeems hardships for good. Romans 8:28 declares that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him. God can even transform pain into gain. With Him, nothing is wasted. Every experience serves a purpose to teach, refine and strengthen. Even in the wilderness, God provides manna and living water.
Generosity and other-centeredness define God’s nature. He created us to be like Him – to find joy in giving rather than getting. As we become conduits of God’s generosity to others, we experience the profound satisfaction He designed us for. The more we reflect God’s giving heart, the more He delights to give good gifts to us.
Gifts from God Must Be Received With Gratitude
For us to fully benefit from God’s good gifts, we must accept them with humble gratitude. James 1:17 explains that every good gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Gifts from above must be recognized and welcomed properly. Although we don’t earn God’s blessings, we can forfeit their benefits through pride, selfishness and ingratitude.
A spirit of entitlement dampens our capacity to appreciate God’s grace. But when we maintain awareness that all good things come from God, we are filled with praise and thankfulness. Gratitude lifts our eyes from selfish preoccupations to recognize God’s hand of provision. Maintaining a grateful attitude safeguards our hearts from taking God’s gifts for granted.
The more we develop a lifestyle of thanking God for His gifts, big and small, the more our joy and intimacy with Him will grow. Our hearts expand as we continually recognize and receive the many ways our loving Father seeks to bless us every single day with good gifts tailored just for us.
God Desires Us to Be Generous Givers Like Him
As God gives to us generously, He wants us to give generously to others. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). The Apostle Paul wrote much about Christian generosity. He said those who sow bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6). As we imitate God’s generosity, He promises to keep supplying seed for us to continue spreading blessing.
Giving should not be done begrudgingly, but cheerfully, Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 9:7. As we give freely of what God has given us – finances, time, abilities, wisdom – we reflect God’s overflowing benevolence. We are conduits through which His gifts can meet needs. Generous giving requires faith and trust that God will keep providing for us as we obey His call to be conduits of His giving nature.
God’s Gifts Call Us to Greater Intimacy with Him
This verse reveals that God’s giving heart provides an open invitation into closer relationship with Him. The more we rely on Him for provision and thank Him for His gifts, the deeper our walk with God will become. His gifts are not just material, but include spiritual blessings that enrich our souls – revelation of His character, heightened discernment, deepening trust and more.
Every gift we receive is an opportunity to know God better. As a master artist, God uses the brushstrokes of circumstance to paint a magnificent mosaic revealing His divine nature. The more we appreciate and understand His handiwork, the more breathtaking He becomes. With childlike wonder, may we open our eyes each day to discover and be captivated by God’s good gifts.
Matthew 7:11 provides incredible insight into God’s kind and generous fatherly heart towards us as His children. He loves to meet our needs, especially when we humbly ask in faith. May we seek to know Him more through His good gifts, becoming generous givers ourselves. As we live with gratitude, we’ll never take God’s giving nature for granted but be amazed daily by His endless grace and provision.