Pastor Rick Lipira: Morning Devotion 08/24/22
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
God is good all the time, all the time He is good.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (James 1:16-18)
The last couple of weeks we have been talking about trials, tests, and tribulations. The Bible makes it very clear that God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. (vs. 13) We must understand that God is good, and everything He gives is good because God is always consistent with His character.
Whatever you have in life you consider good it is because of the Grace of God. Maybe you are a talented musician, maybe an intelligent businessperson, possibly a hard-working factory worker, an educated person, talented in some way, shape, or form. It can be easy to feel this is something we earned. There is no room for us to take credit for anything. Please understand anything you are and everything that is wonderful in us, is because of His Grace and Goodness.
You and I have good days and bad. Some days we wake, and we are more patient and pleasant with people than other days. We use the term, “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed”, meaning it’s just a bad day and we are in a bad mood. We hear, “Don’t talk to the boss today, because he woke up on the wrong side of the bed”. What might be “yes” on a certain day, can be “no” on other days. We may tell our kids “no” for no reason and sometimes it is “go ask your mother” (or father).
Everything everywhere casts a shadow. A sundial works because as the sun’s angle changes the shadow on the bar moves across the gauge. Half of the earth and moon are lit by the sun, and the other half are dark. You make a shadow and everything we have has one also. The Lord does none of the above. He does not have good days and bad. He has no shadow of turning, no variation, “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever”. (Heb. 13:8) He is good all the time, all the time He is good. You check your insurance policy, and you will find a clause, you are covered against “acts of God”. Acts of God, really? I understand this is just a statement, but God is not the one that causes tornados, cyclones, floods, and catastrophes. He is a good God all the time not some or part of the time.
What is this in verse 18 about us being a “kind of firstfruits of His creation”? The firstfruits of the harvest were generally the very best, the pick of the litter. That is why they offered their firstfruits back to the Lord, not what was leftover or the excess. He tells us in all His creation you are His very best. Ephesians 4:24 tells us to “Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy”. When God “saves” us He cancels out the curse of sin in our lives. God is good, but He also takes the bad things in our life and the hardships we encounter and uses them for good. “All things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose”. (Rom. 8:28)
Pastor Rick Lipira
