“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”. James 1:17 NKJV
Sunrise is one of the most consistent features of the earth. Even people who deny the existence of the God, who created the sunsets, sunrises and the sun, do not doubt that the sun will rise every new day. There is almost no need to pray for the sun to rise because, come what may, once it is dawn, the sun will give its light to the earth.
God gives light, rain and all necessary resources to all creation, big or small, good or evil. It doesn’t matter whether they believe in Him or not (Matthew 5:45). Our anchor scripture reiterates this fact as James refers to God as the “father of light with whom there is no darkness or shadow of turning.” It tells about His never-changing goodness.
We see in the example of Job that at the time when people had limited revelations about the devil, everything that happened, whether good or bad, was attributed to God. Unfortunately, many believers still hold on to the same notion. Like Jesus’ disciples, they respond to other people’s misfortune by wondering what sin they committed to warrant God’s punishment (John 9:1).
The belief that God inflicts sicknesses, poverty, mishap or death on His people as a form of punishment or test stems from an ignorant perspective about God’s nature. The nature of God is revealed clearly in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1) and we know that Jesus did not punish people with sickness, instead He healed the sick and the oppressed (Acts 10:38).
It is not in God’s nature to be anything other than good. This is who He is – a good father. Not only is He a good father, but He also knows how to give good gifts (Luke 11:11-13). The Bible calls Him light. He is only capable of good. His mercy and love for us know no bounds; the Gospel is proof.
Nothing shows God’s love and goodness like Him laying down His life for us even though He was aware that many of us wouldn’t appreciate it (Romans 5:8). It, therefore, takes discernment to attribute world disasters and misfortunes to the right causes: the fall of man (Genesis 3), the devil (1 Peter 5:8, Job 2:7) or human actions (1 King 12).
God is not ‘trying’ to be good. Goodness is His very nature. This is why David confidently invites us to taste and see that God is good (Psalm 34: 8). God was good yesterday, He is good today, and He will be good tomorrow and for eternity.
This is our conviction; that no matter what we go through in life, His goodness is sure. No matter what situation we face, we see it through the lens of God’s goodness, and we praise Him at every chance we get because He is good!
DO THIS: Throughout today, consciously thank God and rejoice in His never-ending goodness.
Bible Reading Plan: Psalms 14, 16