James 1:17

'Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.'

'Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift' -'Every beneficent gift and every perfect present' (Ber). "Good"-useful, being good in its character or constitution, beneficial in its effect. 'Fit, capable, useful' (Arndt p. 2)

'perfect' -complete or without defect. In addition, this also could mean that what God gives us, is perfectly suited for us and the stage in our life when it is given. 'appropriately suited to the person or the occasion. It is all that the gift should be.' (Kent p. 55)

Point To Note:

But do we really believe this assertion? How many Christians are still convinced that there is "good" outside of what God allows or gives? How many think that God and His way of doing things actually prevents us from receiving good things? In view of such. statement how can any of us ever claim that we don't have everything we need to live happy and productive lives? Do you believe that God is taking good care of you, do you believe that every good thing you enjoy, comes ultimately from God?

'coming down from' -present tense,. continual stream of blessings coming from God.

'the Father of lights' -apparently, the "lights" in this verse refer to the heavenly bodies in the solar system (Genesis 1:3; Genesis 1:14; Amos 2:8). In addition, to being the source of all physical light, God is also the source of all spiritual light (John 8:12). The idea seems to be, how could the Creator of all light ever abide in the darkness?

'with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow' -"Variation"-'who is himself never subject to change' (TCNT); 'change in the degree or intensity of light, such as is manifested by the heavenly bodies' (Vincent p. 732). "Shifting shadow"-as with changes seen in the stars, moon and planets.

Points To Note:

1. God is unchangeable (Hebrews 2:8). God doesn't have 'bad' days in which He tempts people, rather, He consistently gives good gifts. 2. God gives good things on. constant basis (James 1:5; Matthew 7:7). 3. 'As constant as the heavenly bodies are, they do exhibit changes as man perceives them. Seasonal variations, eclipses, phases of the moon, clouded skies, and the shifting shadows seen hourly on the sundial…But God's character and nature are unchanging. He does not shift from good given to occasional evil giving.' (Kent p. 56) 4. Do we ever thank God for not being moody? Are we thankful that God is always the same, that He is consistent and that He doesn't keep changing the rules on us? 'For one thing, this means that God is always approachable. We can always find him.' (Draper p. 47) It also tells us that God always loves us and is always wishing for the sinner to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). That God will always forgive us-if we seek forgiveness.