Every Good and Perfect Gift

James 1:17; Genesis 1

Our true story is found in a part of the Bible called Genesis. The word genesis means “the beginning.” Our true story also comes from a part of the Bible written by a man named James. James loved God and told people what God wanted them to know.

We begin in the very beginning when God made a super-amazing gift! Do you like gifts? I do, too! And when someone who loves you MAKES a gift for you, it’s even more special. Well, in the beginning, God made something really big and really amazing. Can you guess what it is? God made the WHOLE world! WOW! God made the Earth for all of us to live on because God is good.


But God didn’t stop there. God made even more. God made flowers! God made tall flowers and short flowers, yellow flowers, and blue flowers. God made so many different and beautiful flowers for us to enjoy. When we look around and see all the different flowers God made, we can say, “God is good.”


But that’s not all God made. God also made yummy fruits, like oranges, apples, bananas, and grapes, and God made yummy vegetables, like corn, peas, carrots, squash, potatoes. Any fruit or vegetable you can think of, God made it. Why? Because God is good!


But that’s not ALL God made. God made animals, but God didn’t make just one kind of animal. God made sloths and butterflies and llamas and squirrels and alligators! Who made ALL the animals? God made all kinds of animals. When we look around and see all the different animals God made, we can say, “God is good.”


But that’s not ALL God made. God made people! And not just ONE person, but every person in the whole world! God made each of us different and wonderful. We look different, think different thoughts, speak different languages, and we’re able to do different things. When we look around and see all the people God made, we say, “God is good.” 


God made the whole world and everything in it. Everywhere we look, we see good gifts that God made because God is GOOD!






Bible Paraphrase: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. — Psalm 107:1, NIV

Text Truth: I can thank God for God is good.



Family Devotional

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
—James 1:17

In our Bible story, we learned that God made LOTS of different things like birds and flowers and . . . what else did God make? Yes! God made all of those!

God made the whole world and everything in it. Everywhere we look, we see good gifts that God made. God is so good, and every good gift is from God. That’s why when we look at all of the good things God made, we can thank God because God is good.

Give thanks to the LORD for he is good. —Psalm 107:1, NIV

With your family, make a list of things God made. You can use your list to thank God when you pray. So, write your family member's name next to the thing that they say.

Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, “Dear God, You make good things because You are good. We want to give thanks to You because You are good. We want to thank You for making so many wonderful things like (read the list the children made.) I especially want to thank You for making (say each child’s name). Everywhere we look, we can see that You are good. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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Some story illustrations are in the Public Domain.

Some story illustrations are the property of their respective owner.
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