Love the Giver not the Gifts
Scripture
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
1 John 2:15–17 (NLT)
John’s warning is clear: do not love this world or the things it offers. He is not saying you should reject people or the beauty of creation. Rather, he calls you to love the people of this world, not the ways of the world or the stuff it tries to sell you.
Your love for God should always come first. It should be stronger than your attachment to anything this world can offer. Every good thing you enjoy comes from the Father’s hand, not from the world itself. James reminds us, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father.” The point is simple: don’t love the gifts more than the Giver.
“Be thankful, but be careful that you don’t become so enamored of God’s good gifts that you fail to worship the giver.”
— A.W. Tozer¹
God graciously provides what you need and often blesses you with abundance to enjoy. But when contentment gives way to craving, something shifts inside you. The more your heart loves the temporary things of this world, the less room is left for the eternal. Jesus said we cannot love both God and money, and the same is true of anything that captures your affection above Him.
You were made to love. Your heart was created to be filled with the love of God and to overflow with that love toward others. But when you fill your life with things that fade away, you end up empty. So today, take one gift you’ve been holding tightly, and loosen your grip. Let it point you back to the Giver instead of standing in His place.
Reflection
- What good things in your life might be competing for the love that belongs only to God?
- How can you enjoy God’s gifts without letting them take His place in your heart?
- What practical step can you take today to focus more on loving the Giver rather than the gifts?
Prayer
Ask God to reveal anything in your life that has taken His place in your heart. Thank Him for the good and perfect gifts He has given you and ask for wisdom to hold them loosely.
Footnote
¹ A.W. Tozer, widely attributed, likely from Whatever Happened to Worship? (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1985).