Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:7-9
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. (James 1:17-18)
A Look at God’s Character
There is an intentional contrast between the character of man and that of God in James’ writing. He wants us to understand our own hearts as well as that of God, so we might be properly motivated to press on in spiritual development.
God Is Reliable
Man’s desires continually cause trouble. We are warned about sin and falling prey to temptation, yet the very reason we do is not because of external pressure but our own internal desires. The human heart is deceitful, justifying itself for ill-made choices and pursuing the path of sin. The best of worldly education cannot tame the heart, for it is inwardly corrupt by reason of the corruption of the world by Satan.
James reminds us, “Not so with God!” As we consider the inability of man to achieve righteousness and his incapacity for loving God, we find that the Lord gives to us the very thing we lack in our need for him. “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
James uses two different words for "gift," and he apparently does so for a reason. The first word, dosis, refers to the act of giving; the second word, dorema, refers to what is given. In other words, James is saying that God is the source of both the desire to give a gift and the gift itself. Another way of stating it would be… “Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above..." True, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35), but both are equally from God!
We are to recognize our trials as able to bring joy and to persevere even under trials. We are also to turn away from temptation but find that our own hearts do not help us on either point. We come up short, struggling under the weight of our humanity and the desire for self and the world.
What we need is that which only God can give. James is assuring us that every good thing we need is in and from God. He is not just randomly chatting about God’s character but helping us to understand that in light of the waywardness of our own hearts, God intervenes according to his own gracious desires. The normal passion of the human heart is to trust in one’s own ability. The idea of casting ourselves upon the living God is strangely foreign to our minds.
Now we are to persevere, even under trials. But how can we in our own strength? We are never to do so in our own ability but to cast ourselves upon the good mercies of the Lord. We can trust Him because it is not merely His desire to do good for us, it is His nature. He is reliable. James reminds us that it is the Lord who continually gives to us so that we might be able to press forward in faithfulness to him. The gifts of God are “good” and “perfect.”
Scripture to Claim:
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
