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

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

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 1:17

Commentary

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.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

Matthew 7:11 - If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children...

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:11

Commentary

In this passage Jesus is teaching his disciples to ask. Their concept of God may have been a Creator who is so grand that He is unapproachable. If this was the case, Jesus was turning that image upside down. Jesus was teaching that God the Father is not only good, but also desirous to give good gifts to his children. Not his slaves - His kids! This can be a major shift of thinking for people. To see God as distant and deaf gives us greater autonomy; but to see God as a Father wanting to bless his children challenges that autonomy. We now are responsible for asking, seeking and knocking. God wants us to come to Him.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC