Every Good Thing Comes From God

Good evening from the Panhandle. Well today is a milestone, it is my birthday and my last year in my 50's. I must confess there was a time I wasn't sure I would make this far, but God it seems has had other plans.

Sorry I missed last week's blog, I pray this has not been a big inconvenience. The last time we looked at James, we saw him uses wildflowers to teach us an important lesson. The lesson, God’s wisdom vs riches. How do we use our riches? Do we let our riches rule us? Do we gripe and complain about our seemingly lack of riches or do we see how wealthy we really are?

Through James’ teachings we also saw that the devil never made anyone do anything they didn’t want to do. Although starting with Eve he has tempted everyone who has ever lived and he will continue to do so until Christ Jesus comes back.

In 1966, about a year before he died, the brilliant physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer said, "I am a complete failure!" This man had been the director of the Los Alamos Project, a research team that produced the atomic bomb, and he had also served as the head of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Yet, in looking back, he saw his achievements as meaningless. When asked about them, he replied, "They leave on the tongue only the taste of ashes."

The number of people who commit suicide after experiencing the fame and fortune of worldly success is astonishing. Multimillionaire George Vanderbilt killed himself by jumping from a hotel window. Lester Hunt, twice governor of Wyoming before being elected to the U.S. Senate, ended his own life. Actress Marilyn Monroe, writer Ernest Hemingway, and athlete Tony Lazzeri represent a host of highly influential and popular people who became so disenchanted with earthly success that they took their own lives. – Our Daily Bread.

Today as we look at James 1:16-21 we see that every good thing comes from God, every real good thing that is.


James 1:14-18
14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

I. Every Good Thing (v. 16-18)

There is a solemn warning in verse 16 against being deceived. But deceived of what? When you look at verse 16 in conjunction to verses 14 and 15 the warning is that we are responsible for our sinful behavior. There are no excuses, no one else to blame.

When you look at verse 16 as a lead in for verses 17 and 18, the warning is against a wrong view of God’s character. God does not tempt, nor do bad things come from Him. We can ask God for wisdom to endure and resist. And we are assured that God can and will supply both the grace to endure and the strength to do so.

On the other hand sin is deceptive, and Satan is always seeking to deceive you. Eve was correct when she said, “The serpent deceived me” (Genesis 3:13). Peter was right when he warned us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Petert 5:8).

James contrasts that which comes from Satan and that which comes from God. James tells us that God shows His goodness in that He does not change (v. 17) and by giving the good gift of new life to believers (v. 18). In verses 17 and 18, James uses such descriptive words as good, gift, perfect, above, lights, and first fruits. These are “life” words rather than the “death” vocabulary which he used in verses 14-15. God loves you and desires what is best for you.

In verse 17 James makes 3 statements about God. First, God is the Father of the heavenly lights – God is the creator of the stars and other heavenly bodies.

Second, as I said earlier God does not change – The light of His truth and holiness never dims, but remains forever constant.

Third, God does not undergo any shifting of shadow – While shadows shift and change with the shifting sun or moon, there is nothing that can cause God’s character to change or shift. God’s character is always constant, true, unchanging, reliable, good, and faithful. Unlike the light we receive here on the earth, God’s character is dependent on nothing

James reminds us in verse 18 that God initiated our salvation by His own will. Without a doubt, He is the initiator; He is the One who loved us while we were yet His enemies (Romans 5:8). The phrase which is translated as “brought us forth” is the word apokuéō (ap-ok-oo-eh’o), which literally means to beget or to produce, to breed. In other words, when James refers to the fact that God “brought us forth,” he is actually referring to our new birth. It is God’s will to bring you forth to spiritual birth. Christ Jesus said, “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). As a Christian you supremely belong to God, you are His first fruit. The First fruit offering was to always be the best portion of the harvest and was always to be set aside for God. 

There was a young boy, about 7 or 8 years old and he was going 

off the diving board for the very first time. Now the boy was

small and the water deep. The dad of the little boy could see his

son was scared so he waited by the side of the pool in the water

to catch the boy. Seeing his dad there gave the boy enough 

courage to jump. Just as the boy went into the water his dad 

reached out and grab him, the boy’s dad had taken care of him.

In much the same way James is encouraging you to take a leap of faith in trusting God to lead you to endure through trials and to provide strength for temptations. You can trust Him, He is faithful, and His intentions are always good. Won’t you trust Him today?

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

II. The Danger of Ignoring God’s Word (v. 19-21)

Quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (v. 19). This is great counsel for human relationships, but James is talking about much more here. The strong warning to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath may be a reference to the readers’ accusations against God. This follows what James has been saying in verses 14-16.

The basic indication is to hear God; to listen to the instructions of that truth by which you have been saved, and be brought into a closer relation to Him. The general doctrine here is that we are to be more ready to hear than to speak. Our attitude of mind should be a readiness to receive that which God wants to teach us. There is an old saying that I know most of you have heard, “Men have two ears, and but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak.” Another less known saying is, “The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds.”

However when looking at the rest of this section of scriptures it would seem that it also applies to God’s word or message. It is God’s message that a Christian should be eager to hear; through what ever avenue God chooses to use. Not only should you be eager to hear God’s message for you, you should be eager to act on it.

In today’s society we are encouraged to express our feelings, whether good or bad, peaceful or inflammatory, godly or ungodly. But James say the wise person is the one who listens to God and others, deliberates on a careful response, and answers with cautious words.

What does anger get you? It doesn’t get you righteousness. (v. 20-21) Anger does not produce that righteousness which God requires. Its tendency is not to persuade us to keep the law, but to break it; not to induce us to embrace the truth, but to oppose it. The righteousness of God comes to you as you seek to do His will. It comes as you follow Christ Jesus as Lord. We are to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” This kind of lifestyle is in sharp contrast to the “do whatever you want to do that pleases you” lifestyle the world teaches.

The key to the kind of lifestyle God wants for you is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. James gives you practical advice concerning the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life when he writes, “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (v. 21). This verse issues a command and then provides a prerequisite for obeying the command, an incentive for obedience, and a description of our attitude in obedience. This counsel is closely related to James teaching on being “quick to listen.” In communication theory, the act of listening is call “reception.” The ears are often called our “receivers.”

If you are to receive the implanted Word of God, you must listen to His written Word, and you must have your receivers open to the revelation and guidance of the Holy Spirit. That Word becomes vital and powerful and alive as you allow the Holy Spirit to implant God’s Word in you. You should receive this Word not with anger but with meekness or humbleness.

What is the result of letting the word be planted in you? (v. 21). Obedience to God’s Word promotes holiness and develops Godly character. You demonstrate a genuine likeness toward Christ Jesus as you get rid of the desires for filth and evil. It is not the law without, that saves you from the results of your sinful nature (death), but instead the word which became flesh that saves you. But in order for you to become a new creation you must obey God and strip off the dirty garments of moral indecency and malicious attitudes.

Conclusion: In our obedience we must display humility. You must not quarrel or quibble with God as you receive His message. You must receive the spiritual medicine which your divine physician has prescribed for you.

David committed adultery with Bathsheba and carried out a plan to murder her husband. For some months he refused to acknowledge his sin until Nathan boldly said to him, “You are that man.” David finally came to his senses and expressed repentance fully. David asked for mercy, acknowledged his sin, pleaded for cleansing, and asked for divine renewal and God renewed His relationship with him. Should you do no less knowing that God can do as much for you?

1. What is the warning in verse 16?
2. We are assured that God can and will supply what? (vs. 17)
3. What does it mean that God is the Father of the heavenly lights?
4. What words are used to describe God’s character?
5. What is it we listen to hear from God?
6. Not only should we hear God's Word, but we should what?
7. What does anger not get you?
8. This verse issues a command and then provides three things. What are they?
9. In order for you to become a new creation you must what?