God is Not Stingy

I enjoy giving my kids things I think they'll like. I'll bet you do, too.

I enjoy the look on their faces when they're wowed, but even when I don't get that, I know when I've found something they really like. I want them to have fun, to have nice things, to find things they didn't know they'd like. It truly is more blessed to give than receive. I would totally rather give them something than have them give me something — and not just because they're not good at guessing what I'll like.

But I don't give them everything I see I think they'll like. I don't give them everything they ask for. Sometimes I hold back because too much generosity can make them ungrateful. Sometimes I think this idea, though fun, won't be good for them. Sometimes I might be willing to give something to one but not the other — for instance, giving your in-door child a new video game system might just be a new excuse to stay inside and never see the sun, whereas the out-door child wouldn't overuse it. And sometimes it's just good for them to wait. "Yeah, that's a great idea. I'll get that for her birthday in six months."

And as much as I love giving them things they enjoy, sometimes I have to give them things I know they won't enjoy. They need their shots. They need a balanced diet. They need chores. They need discipline.

JI Packer wrote, "'Father' is the Christian name for God." It's not just a name. It's what God is to us. He has adopted us into his family. We're not servants or even friends but sons and daughters. God is a real Father to us, and he is a good Father.

Sometimes we're tempted to think that God is stingy with us. We have to reject that temptation. Our Father is a generous God. He has "lavished" his grace on us in forgiving our sins (Eph 1:7-8). He "lavished" his love on us in adopting us as his children (1John 3:1). And now, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Rom 8:32). He's already given us his Son. Why would he withhold lesser gifts?

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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!" (Matt 7:9-11).

And yet God doesn't always give us what we ask for. But he is still good. He knows what we need and which of our wants aren't good for us. He knows when waiting and struggling will build character. He knows what it will take to shape us into the image of Christ.

It's tempting to think God is stingy when our prayers go unanswered. God has shown us that he is good. We know he is wise. Can we make the conscious decision to trust him when things don't go our way?