Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ~ James 1:17
God is good! His love and blessings surround us, fill us, delight us, intrigue us, and astound us. He loves us with an unfathomable love. A love undeserved but so deep that He gave His only Son to save a world of sinners. Actually, His word describes us as his enemies. Yet still He loved us and gave us the gift of all gifts, the perfect gift that came down from above. He didn’t stop with the gift of Jesus; but to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God, and to all who received Him by faith, He gave the gift of everlasting life. He continued to pour out His blessings on us and continues to this day ~ mercies that are new every morning, all-sufficient grace, the privilege of prayer and the promise that He will hear and answer them. He gifts us with provisions of daily bread and other needs, renewed strength, forgiveness of sins, daily mercies (holding back what we do deserve), and unbelievable grace (giving gifts we don’t deserve). Then there’s also the gift of His active presence in our lives, His promise to never leave or forsake us, forgiveness for unimaginable sins, hope for tomorrow, and as Peter wrote, “everything we need for life and godliness”(2 Peter 1:3-4).
Friends, may we never become oblivious or unresponsive to His good and perfect gifts. May our gratitude flow continually for every gift and every act of love and kindness. May we stay alert to the enemy’s schemes and never allow our emotions and sinful thinking to trick us into turning away from God.
In the previous verse, James urged his readers not to be deceived. Emotions and sinful thinking can trick us into turning away from God. It’s important to cling to the truth, which is that every good thing in our lives is a gift from God. In the midst of our trials, we are tempted to change our opinion of the trustworthiness of our God. We start to make lists of all the things we think we are missing in our lives, of all of the things we have lost. If God were good, wouldn’t we have those things?
Bibleref.com/James 1:17
This attitude leads to even more temptation. We begin to look elsewhere for the good things we think we’re missing. “If God won’t provide them,” we think, “we’ll have to go and get them for ourselves.” We attempt to take control. We struggle to find our own satisfaction.
Now, however, James urges us to flip the typical human script. He calls us to make a new list: all the good things we do have. Where did all those good things come from? James is encouraging believers in Christ to tell themselves the truth: God gave you every single good thing in your life. He is the source of all the good you have and all the good you crave. Who God is does not change when our circumstances change. He doesn’t go from being a good God to a bad God when our trials begin. He is still the source of all the good in our lives; He never changes.
Reflection and Application
- What does it mean to remain faithful in hard times?
- Bibleref.com explains: It means continuing to acknowledge that God is the source of what is good in our lives and what will be good in the future.
- What else do you think it could mean?
A Challenge
End each day by thinking about, listing out, or simply thanking God for the gifts of grace you saw throughout the day. I write mine in my prayer journal almost every evening. I call them Daily Graces. Let me know if and how you do them.
Me From the Inside Out 