James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above

Praise the Lord 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 is contrasting God’s nature with our nature in previous verses. Whereas we are fickle, God never changes. He gives good (earthly) and perfect (heavenly) gifts to us. Sometimes we see God giving only heavenly gifts – salvation, guidance, peace. But he also gives earthly gifts – prosperity, success, favor. James balances the earthly and the heavenly when He refers to God as the Father of the heavenly lights, which were seen as trustworthy navigation tools. We may want to exploit the earthly gifts, or only emphasize the heavenly gifts, but our heavenly guide will use all of these gifts to transform us. The God who does not change uses good and perfect gifts to mold us into the children that will change the earth.    P Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.