“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 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 1:16–17; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

Do we believe this statement? Do we really believe that whatever God gives us is good? Do we really believe that every good thing we have comes from Him?

This passage appears in the midst of teaching on temptation and sin. That is not an accident. Elsewhere, Scripture tells us that “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Unbelief and sin walk hand in hand. Believers are often tempted and fall into sin when they think the pleasure of sin is somehow better than the blessings of God. People commit adultery, fornication, or other sexual sins because they feel that God is depriving them of something good. Some steal because they do not believe God will provide or think He is not giving them all that they deserve.

We do not trust God when we do not believe He is Who He says He is. In recent months, articles on this blog have reminded us that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, eternal, always present with His people, etc. Do we really believe that?

Do we believe that God is unchanging? Malachi 3:6 says, “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” We can place our faith in Him because He is the same God who sent His Son to die for our sins. If He was willing to give His Son for us, and His Son was willing to give His life for us, we can trust Him to give good things to us. He has not changed.

Do we believe that God is incorruptible? Not only is He unchanging, He is devoid of impurity or evil. He will always be holy and loving.

Do we believe that God is unlimited? Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. He is not going to run out of blessings anytime soon.

James 1:17 tells us that God is the Father of lights. In Him there is no variation or shifting shadow. He does not change course. He does not distort. We can design prisms to diffract light into its various component wavelengths. This even happens in nature, giving us rainbows. However, God Himself is never distorted.

Think of every good thing you have ever received. James 1:17 tells us that it comes from God. Receive it with gratitude. Accept it as a gift from Him. Consecrate it to Him. Accept it as something that you can use to bring Him glory.

The good things that come into our lives should remind us to look to God with gratitude. Bad things, or things that seem bad to us, should also draw our attention to God. Has our commitment to Him waned so that we sought joy and happiness outside His will? Have we started to doubt His love and thought we could grab better things than He gives? Perhaps He gave us something good, but we do not see the good in it yet.

Perhaps something bad even came into your life. Maybe you have experienced illness or some other major life crisis that turned your world upside down. God can bring good out of that:

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to [His] purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Even if something has been horrible, God can find a way to bring good out of it. My wife recently read an autobiography by Joni Eareckson Tada, a Christian artist/author who was paralyzed in an accident as a teenager. Due to her injuries, she had to learn how to paint while holding the brush in her mouth! Her ability to create art in this way gained recognition for her, and she has been able to share the Gospel with thousands of people who would probably have paid no attention to her if she had normal mobility. She has been an inspiration to many who suffer from disabilities or debilitating diseases. Was her accident a good thing? Not really: Perhaps one could blame it on the devil. Would it be easy for someone in her circumstances to lose faith and hope? Absolutely. It may have been evil or a tragedy, but God empowered her to use her circumstances for good. Few people can serve God in her capacity.

No matter what happens, let us look to God. If good things come, let us give thank to the Father of lights, from whom we receive all good things and every perfect give. If tragedy or trials come our way, we can seek God to bring good out of our circumstances. God is good all the time.

Can you share times when God has brought good into your life, or has even brought good out of bad things that have happened to you? Feel free to share by clicking the “Leave a comment” link below.

Copyright © 2020 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.