May 7
________________________________________
JAMES 1
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
– James 1:16-18
________________________________________
JAMES 1 FATHER OF LIGHTS: GIVER OF GOOD & PERFECT GIFTS
A poem inspired by this psalm by ILMA
While you were still walking in the dark
Your Father brought you into the light
With his word, he exposed sin and brought you truth
Receive his word and you will discern what is untrue
The Lord is the father of lights who is unchanging
There is nothing dark or shady in Him; he exudes light.
Do not think that you can provide for yourself
Everything we have is coming from our heavenly Father
We cannot claim that every skill or talent we have is ours
It is a gift that we need to acknowledge the one true God
He gave us light and drew us out of the darkness
His gospel shines and free us from every bondage.
When we fail to remember that our source is the Lord
We will fall into the traps of the systems of this world
Let us give thanks to the father of lights, where truth shines forth
Let us follow his generosity and spread the gospel throughout
Let us all declare God’s goodness in bringing us out of the darkness
Remember to live in his word, which guides us to his own righteousness.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• What is the importance of acknowledging the giver of good and perfect gifts?
• What happens when we forget that our source is the father of lights?
• What does it mean to be the firstfruits of God’s creature as verse 18 says?