FRIDAY, November 12 (Charles Simeon)

James 1:16-27. Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.

The meaning of this verse is obscure in some ways, but one thing is clear enough: temptation cannot come from God; everything that comes from God is good. If we find this a pious platitude, perhaps we haven’t examined it carefully.

Some things that God either sends upon us or allows to happen to us do not seem to be good—they don’t taste good, they are bitter pills. And our faith undergoes one of its most severe tests when we are asked to believe that the Father of lights, our loving Father in heaven, is allowing us in his mercy to suffer some bitter disappointment or sorrow or affliction.

But James knew what it was to suffer for the Lord’s sake, and he saw in that suffering a means of grace, a blessing from on high.

In all our troubles we must be sustained by that faith. Whatever comes down from the Father of lights to us is good, and if we will trust him for the final issue, we shall one day see the goodness and rejoice in it. (1972)

PRAY for the Diocese of Karamoja (Uganda)

Ps 88 * 91, 92; Joel 2:28—3:8; Luke 16:1-9

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James 1:17

Nov 12, 2010 at 9:11 am

Written by Jim Swaney,

Today, for the first time, I read James 1:17 as having less to do with what I receive than with what I give. We did some Christmas shopping Wednesday, not to rush the season but to prepare so that we have time to observe a holy Advent. Psalm 88 expresses the excruciation of doing without God, having lost the connection. Verses 28 through 32 of the second chapter of Joel speak of the joyful abundance when we are reconnected. And what Eugene Peterson calls the story of the crooked manager su*gests that God makes good gifts, sometimes, even when our intention is not so good. As Peterson paraphrases James 1:17, "Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light." When I reconnect with God in my Christmas shopping, I'm more aware that this is God's project, in which God has me participate. That, too, is a gift.

...

Nov 12, 2010 at 9:29 am

Written by Steve Doutt,

In other words this is not a fairy tail or a fantasy. This is real. God created reality.

Thank you God for the breath of life. I believe in you God, help my unbelief. You are beyond my comprehension. I cannot comprehend a loving force behind the big bang, or the eventual burning our of our sun, but it is true...you are true. I love you. Help me to find your way to the clearing at the end of the path.

...

Nov 12, 2010 at 11:05 am

Written by Andrea,

I wonder if the families of the Iraqi Christians who have been killed view that as a good gift from God... I think we in the US tend to be a little too smug and glib about "accepting the bad along with the good." I think we have no right to make such statements when we are living lives of wealth and privilege, insulated from many atrociously bad things by accident of birth place. It's true that we don't know the mind of God, but the writer of the meditation seems to be saying we are called to blind obedience and acceptance that everything is from God, and if it is bad, well, we just need to submit and let it work itself out to its good purpose. The God who would expect that of us is not the God of poor, the oppressed, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. It would have to be the God of complacency in the face of evil and injustice. Is that really the One we serve?

For Andrea

Nov 12, 2010 at 1:13 pm

Written by Sam Dowding,

I empathize. Just to share a personal perspective: every time the question that eternally haunts us comes up: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” the pain resurges, knowing that our God allowed this to happen. So I comfort myself by not imputing my own judgments as God’s. I will never understand the mind of God, so I leave room for His wisdom to be revealed. He never promised that all would be sweet and dandy; in fact He promised that if we seek to follow Him, we WILL suffer, even die for the privilege. I cannot see into the future to discern what good will emerge from Iraq’s continuing suffering. But I truly believe that good will emerge, like the phoenix, from the ashes – today’s evil is a refining fire, a test of our mettle, as we seek to walk in His footsteps. Let’s recommit and not turn back, so we can promote the good that is now obscured by evil.

...

Nov 12, 2010 at 1:48 pm

Written by Joanne Richards,

The evil that Andrea speaks about does NOT come from God. It comes from man. Isn't that the promise of free will? We all get to choose how we act and what we do. It is up to us to be strong in our faith and loving in our deeds.

context

Nov 12, 2010 at 4:38 pm

Written by Patricia Montgomery,

'Nature doesn't care about fair or unfair - it only cares about balance and inbalance' said my favorite mad TV character.

Part of the human condition is the self centered way we view things - this happened to ME. This affected ME.

And yet - God has a huge creation of which we are just one part.

Creation, nature, balance is good. The bad parts? Well, maybe its just we see them from our little, self centered seats?

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