JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from James 1:17.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
The blessings of God are expressions of His love for us. These blessings enrich our lives in various ways and reflect God’s goodness toward us.
His good gifts consist of resources that we need to survive, the things that He provides for our enjoyment, and the precious people in our lives that we know as “Friends.”
His perfect gifts are Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and His amazing grace. Jesus is the perfect remedy for our sin. The Holy Spirit is the perfect power source for living out the Christian life. And grace is the perfect plan of redemption that God designed before the world began.
This Light Reflection inspires us to marvel at the brilliance of God’s blessings in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Trust, today’s Focus on God examines His blessings.
According to James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
God’s gifts to us are blessings that enable us to thrive for the glory of God. We are blessed to receive the perfect gifts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There are also good gifts that God provides for us, such as food to sustain us in life, abilities to enable us to serve, and people to encourage us in the faith.
For every blessing, we have an occasion to thank God for His gracious hand.
The good and perfect blessings of God are reasons to trust in God for today and forever.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK -Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on good and perfect gifts.
James 1:17 tells us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Here we see that God is the giver of all good gifts. Some of those gifts might be tangible things. First Timothy 6 tells us that God is the One who provides us with everything for our enjoyment. But this blessing comes with a caution for us not to put our hope in wealth, but rather to put our hope in God. Love the Giver more than the gift.
Some of the good gifts provided by God might be resources that we need to survive. Acts 14:17 says, “He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” This, too is a blessing from God and a reason to give thanks.
Some of His gifts are perfect. Jesus is the perfect remedy for our sin. God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son. The Holy Spirit is the perfect power source for living the Christian life. Jesus said in Luke 11, “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Every good and perfect gift from God is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
