Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
James 1:17-18
I’m just going to put a period on a topic that started in the last post. The theme of the last couple of posts have centered around the concept of listening to Christ’s words to the rich, young ruler. From that encounter, I mentioned last time that Christians tend to take up the wrong burden with the words that it is basically impossible for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 19:23-24).
Despite Christ’s next statement, I often walk around this blessed life I lead and question its sincerity. While I won’t go so far as to say that such questioning is invalid, I will say that such a line of thinking can easily ignore the promise of Christ – that what is impossible with humanity is possible with God (Matt. 19:26).
I want to connect these words to James 1. Whatever is good and perfect comes from God our Father. Yet, I know how easily I tend to take the good things (like the blessedness of my living circumstances) and try to turn them into a curse. I think that such a line of thinking is a bit of a cop out. Instead, I need to recognize that I have been given much and much is required (Luke 12:48).
If there is an abundance of gifts, I want to give and live out of that abundance, recognizing that it is God’s grace that enables me. For it is, humanly speaking, impossible for me to do anything with what I have besides satisfy my own desire.
Cross Section 