It had been a difficult day, and my little girl knew it.  I stood at the washing machine, fighting back tears, when she entered the room — a messily wrapped little gift cradled in her hands. 

She had clearly wrapped it on her own.

With a sweet smile on her face, she held it out to me.  “Here Mommy, this is for you.”

As I tore the gift wrap open and watched the joy on her face, I could see that this was her way of loving me in the best way she knew how.

The package held a trinket from her room, an object I had seen a hundred times.  In itself, the item had no value.  But the act spoke volumes.

The beauty of that moment was not in the gift she gave, but in the giving of it.  Because she owned nothing of any real value, she gave me what she had. 

These years later, I don’t recall what the package contained.  But I remember the sweetness of the act, and the affection I felt as my child reached out to me with a gift given out of intentional love.

This is just what God desires from each of us — a humble giving as a child to the Father, out of love, devotion, and respect. 

Which is kind of amazing, if you think about it.  That this God who created everything and owns everything would desire anything from us.

Psalm 24:1 tells us:

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.  The world and all its people belong to him.

Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10).  He owns everything made, and he even owns everything he has given to you. 

And yet he still desires your humble gifts.  Because it’s not about the gift you give, it’s about the spirit in which it is given.

But what do you have to offer to the one who owns it all already?

What could possibly delight our God?

It’s YOU.  THIS is what God most desires.  Your time, your adoration, your praise. 

♥ Because of all the things he has made, you’re his favorite. ♥

He is a tender-hearted father, and he loves you deeply, just as any parent loves a child.  Scripture says:

• He delights in you – (Psalm 147:11)
• He rejoices over you with singing – (Zephaniah 3:17b)
• He is close to all who call on him – (Psalm 145:18)
• And (don’t miss this), he bends down to listen to you – (Psalm 116:2)

What a beautiful picture of a God who cares for each of us personally. 

So then, as his children, shouldn’t we honor Him in return?

• You have much to offer from within your own storehouse:  Prayers of gratitude, sovereign stillness, songs of praise, faithful trust, Bible reading, humble service, tithes & offerings, loving others, steadfast obedience… 

Any gift of love, devotion, or affection delights the heart of the Father.

What, then, is it that you could humbly bring? 

• Could it be a gift of your time – spending more of it at his feet? 
• Could you bring him a monetary offering, allowing him to further his kingdom or bless another of his own? 
• Could you share his truth with a soul who has yet to know her maker? 
• Maybe you could you lay down something that has kept you from seeking him fully.

You have much to offer. 

So I ask you today, to take a peek into your storehouse and bring him that messily wrapped gift of your own. 

It may not seem like much to you, but to an adoring Father, it is worthy and valuable.

What he most wants is what you already have, so bring it, my friend.

You can be sure that He will receive it with joy and delight.