Day 5 - 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting
Day 5 - James 1:16-18
SCRIPTURE:
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 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. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 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. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
LESSON:
Verse sixteen has intrigued me for a while. I am curious why the Bible interpreters include it within the context of verses seventeen and eighteen more than the previous section on temptation. Temptation is generally something that is deceptive and promises something that it can’t deliver on. So it would make sense that James would say about temptation, “do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
However, I think it is actually a great bridge verse to another kind of deception. This is the deception that says that we can be blessed without being connected to the one who is the giver of everything good. James says it like this… “every good and perfect gift is from above.” From the “Father of lights.” To be “not deceived” looks something like this: I don’t believe the lies of the flesh that try to pull me away from God’s plan for my life and also that I am going to embrace the one who can give me every blessing imaginable. In other words, not being deceived means to reject and embrace the right things simultaneously.
But James doesn’t stop there. He continues on to another profound thought. God never changes. Which means it is easy to find and embrace Him! He’s not shapeshifting all over the universe. He is a rock of consistency. There is no variation or shadow of turning with God. He is always right where he is supposed to be. The apostle Paul says it like this, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace.” (1 Cor. 14:33)
As a pastor I have seen as many people struggle with this second kind of deception than any temptation of the flesh. They struggle to know God and to understand his purpose for their life. They constantly second guess God’s goodness and his faithfulness. They struggle to see the deeper plan behind trials and tribulations. They can’t find joy in these moments of their life. They wrestle with God as much as they wrestle with their fleshly desires. They allow themselves to be deceived as to the nature of the God that they claim to serve. Perhaps they only see the trials and not the blessings. Or perhaps they struggle to trust in and rest in God’s promises. Regardless, this kind of deception leaves them confused and overwhelmed.
The truth is really simple. We don’t need to be confused as to what God is up to. We know that He is up to something good, even when we don’t always see it clearly at the moment of crisis. James implores us to not be deceived but instead to lean into the consistent goodness of a God who never changes. Can you do that today?
Verse sixteen has intrigued me for a while. I am curious why the Bible interpreters include it within the context of verses seventeen and eighteen more than the previous section on temptation. Temptation is generally something that is deceptive and promises something that it can’t deliver on. So it would make sense that James would say about temptation, “do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
However, I think it is actually a great bridge verse to another kind of deception. This is the deception that says that we can be blessed without being connected to the one who is the giver of everything good. James says it like this… “every good and perfect gift is from above.” From the “Father of lights.” To be “not deceived” looks something like this: I don’t believe the lies of the flesh that try to pull me away from God’s plan for my life and also that I am going to embrace the one who can give me every blessing imaginable. In other words, not being deceived means to reject and embrace the right things simultaneously.
But James doesn’t stop there. He continues on to another profound thought. God never changes. Which means it is easy to find and embrace Him! He’s not shapeshifting all over the universe. He is a rock of consistency. There is no variation or shadow of turning with God. He is always right where he is supposed to be. The apostle Paul says it like this, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace.” (1 Cor. 14:33)
As a pastor I have seen as many people struggle with this second kind of deception than any temptation of the flesh. They struggle to know God and to understand his purpose for their life. They constantly second guess God’s goodness and his faithfulness. They struggle to see the deeper plan behind trials and tribulations. They can’t find joy in these moments of their life. They wrestle with God as much as they wrestle with their fleshly desires. They allow themselves to be deceived as to the nature of the God that they claim to serve. Perhaps they only see the trials and not the blessings. Or perhaps they struggle to trust in and rest in God’s promises. Regardless, this kind of deception leaves them confused and overwhelmed.
The truth is really simple. We don’t need to be confused as to what God is up to. We know that He is up to something good, even when we don’t always see it clearly at the moment of crisis. James implores us to not be deceived but instead to lean into the consistent goodness of a God who never changes. Can you do that today?
PRAYER:
Lord, we lean into you today. We trust you with our lives. All of the mess that we have made, all of the trials that we face and all of the blessings that we would like to see materialize in our lives. Please strengthen those who are weak. Please lift up those who have little faith. Pour out your goodness onto us today. We pray this in your holy name, the name of Jesus! Amen!
Lord, we lean into you today. We trust you with our lives. All of the mess that we have made, all of the trials that we face and all of the blessings that we would like to see materialize in our lives. Please strengthen those who are weak. Please lift up those who have little faith. Pour out your goodness onto us today. We pray this in your holy name, the name of Jesus! Amen!
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