Every
gift that God gives us is perfect, which means that it is complete and lacking
nothing necessary in its completeness for us. God’s provision has, at its core,
the creativity needed to see our need and to respond from a heart of mercy and
compassion to exceed our expectations even if we do not physically see the
outcome.
God does have foreknowledge but gave us our free will to provide us
with a choice to change the outcomes by recognizing which path leads to life,
and which path does not, all that we have to do is ask Him. Choosing life is an option we are continually offered from God, and as we receive His gifts, we
must choose wisely, which is wisdom which also comes from Him.
“Streaming down from the Father of lights” is a metaphor
that God’s illumination is like the power of the sun which reaches the earth
and causes life to grow, so it is with God’s gifts to us when our hearts and
minds are in alignment with His purposes for us, so we grow in His power as He
transforms us to be like He is.
“who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or
darkness and is never subject to change,” lets us know that
God has no hidden agenda, no evil plan which is contrary to love. Indeed, God
sometimes hides that we may seek Him out, but there is never a plan which has
been set against us that seeks our demise or our ruin. God always seeks out our
benefit.
This gift that God gives us comes “with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject
to change.” God always gives,
He is not bound by human proclivities where He needs something in return. He gives
and will not take back.
Like I said earlier, there is no hidden agenda in which
God has a secret plan against us. There are many things we need to learn when
it comes to the unseen realm where God resides, but that comes when we are
ready to receive it.
God never changes or outgrows His decisions for us; He is
a firm foundation that never moves or shifts.
”God was delighted to give us birth by the truth of his
infallible Word,” It pleased God to illuminate us in His light, which in turn
planted the truth (or seed) in us with His Word, which is alive and
burgeoning with creativity and life.
This seed is what gave birth to the new
man that formed within us; it is the power of God that resides within us as the
Word comes to us, which causes us to know Christ more and more. His Word is
infallible and transmits an understanding that there is no way for God to fail
us in our lives.
James shows us that we have an ultimate purpose in God’s
interaction with us “so that
we would fulfill his chosen destiny for us and become the favorite ones out of
all his creation!“ God does
have a chosen destiny for us; it is so we could take our place as His sons and daughters
and rule with Him on the earth over all creation.
The truth is God doesn’t need
us, but He has chosen us to become His family. When we begin to grow in a
relationship with Christ, we connect with that chosen destiny. God desires that more
than anything.
Our God has created many things, and if it were to be
said we are the crown jewel of
His creation, We were created in
His likeness to image that likeness wherever we go, that others may see Christ
in us that they may also be transformed.
Likeness doesn’t mean “looks”, it
means characteristics, once the Father of lights has transfigured us, we begin
to radiate the character of Christ. Another way of putting it is we develop a heart
of compassion that comes from the Lord. We start to care about the things He cares
about and love those things that He loves.
Many years ago, I was taught that when we come to Christ,
we must be “regenerated,” I always got a picture in my mind of Frankenstein’s
monster, that would mean pumping life into something old, dead, and used up.
But that is not the case here; we come to Christ we must die “put to death” the
old self, get rid of it. We don’t reuse what is dead. We clothe ourselves with
the new man.
“But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My
assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed
in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the
excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that
old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And
then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed
from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately
reproduces his character in you.”
Ephesians 4:21-24 (MSG)
As we put on the new man, we begin to see life from God’s
perspective, God loves His creation and wants everyone to come to Him to know
His love. This isn’t a wishy-washy type of love; this is the love one has for something
they have created, the personal satisfaction of recognizing the investment
placed in the created thing for its original creative purpose is beginning to coming
into view.
God desires that for everyone, that we may grow in
relationship with Him and become all that we were meant to be as His sons and
daughters.
Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett
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