Skip to main content

Every Good And Perfect Gift

                 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)


            As usual, I’m writing this the day before you read it, and Thursday is my “Thankfulness Day.” I wrote in my list of things for which I’m thankful that I should be thankful for my cold just as Corrie TenBoom learned to be thankful for the lice and fleas in her barracks in a concentration camp. Corrie had her sister, Betsy, who was able to point out the reason. I’m having to take it on faith that there is a blessing in it. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any. It might be something as “insignificant” as building immunity against something worse or building perseverance. It’s not that big of an issue- but I could make it so.

            Isn’t that what we do so often? First, we say we don’t understand. If we only understood, that would help us cope. If God had a good (enough) reason, it might help – or might not. What we’re really aiming toward is our understanding and approval. We aren’t really happy with “Because I have chosen it” as a good reason.

            As I told one friend, my having a cold may have changed my plans, but instead of going to choir and donating platelets, I weeded around a unit in the park. In fact, I thought that the reason might have been to get me to weed because tomorrow’s weather won’t be conducive to weeding, but that doesn’t happen to be the case. The mystery continues and may never be solved beyond “Because I have chosen it.” The question is – will we accept that it’s still a good and perfect gift?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more