Wednesday, October 23, 2024
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
No Shifting Shadows
This verse in James is one of my favorites. James draws a picture of God for us by sharing how God works in the life of His children. He has been teaching how faith is strengthened through the means of trials and temptations. Now He speaks of how God blesses us out of those very same things.
In the past few years, with all the chaos and the empty store shelves, we need to remember God’s goodness more than ever before. God is never caught off guard. He is not surprised by the empty store shelves. He is not anxious over what will happen next. He knows the outcome of the election and He is in full control. When fear and panic strike, we tend to forget the good things God has done and His promise to do it again. Think about the things He has done for you and who He is. The events that happen on this earth have changed almost everything about our lives, but it cannot change our God.
Do you and I recognize God's goodness in our own lives, and in the lives of those we love? Our problem of seeing the goodness of God is that we want to define what "goodness" is. If things are going well, the bills are paid, and the kids aren't yelling, then God is being good to us. And what happens in the times of testing and temptation is that we fail to see God's goodness at work in our lives. It takes much faith to see and recognize God's goodness at all times.
Perhaps the greatest thing about God and His goodness is that He is dependable, and His goodness is constant. He is not like the man who doubts and is unstable and unreliable. In the middle of the chaos of life, and also on the good days, God is always the same.
He is the "Father of Lights" who created the sun, moon, and stars. He brings another light into our lives and in our hearts. He is he light of moral goodness that shines in the hearts and minds of men and women. Right now we desperately need to see His light! In our Father of lights, there is no variation or shadow.
Banks sometimes fold. The soil at times fails to produce. Nations sometimes are defeated. Friends sometimes let us down. Even our closest friends and family members sometimes betray us, but God is utterly dependable. There is no variation or shifting shadow in Him, and when we feel the world spinning out of control, we can trust in His unwavering goodness and love for us.
