Sunday, August 30, 2009

Do Not Be Deceived

I really enjoyed preaching James 1:12-18 Sunday. The message of this passage is that a proper perspective of trials is about knowing the character of God. We will never be able to respond joyfully to suffering if we are not familiar with God's glory and goodness.

Here were the 3 aspects of God to focused on:
1. God rewards those who endure (v. 12).
2. God does not tempt anyone to sin (v. 13-15).
3. God is the giver of all good gifts (v. 16-18).

Under point #3, I meditated on 5 precious truths from verses 17-18:
1. Every good thing we have is given to us by God.
2. God only gives good gifts to His children.
3. God is generous with His good gifts to us.
4. The God who gives all good gifts is powerful and does not change.
5. The best of all God's good gifts to us is the new birth through Christ (v. 18).

Verses 17 and 18 are a loud call to extreme gratefulness. Christians ought to be the most grateful people on the planet.

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