Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. ~ James 1:13-15
For millennia, humans have not taken responsibility for their own behavior. It’s so natural to think “It couldn’t possibly be my fault.” Someone else said something, someone else tipped the dominoes, someone else can surely shoulder the blame. Even Adam and Eve did so in the garden, casting blame on the snake, each other, and on God’s rules. We do the same – blaming God for our failings instead of seeking his help and forgiveness!
James, in his typical blunt fashion, warns us in the next verse: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” Deceived by what? By whom?
First, we deceive ourselves best. We as people are so good at giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt, ascribing the best motives while we assume rather the opposite of others, especially of those we find to be difficult. We convince ourselves we are find when really we are on the brink of spiritual death.
But second, the devil deceives us. He has always shrouded a little truth with lies, making them far more effective. And Satan is active, engaged in spiritual warfare. Do we today think we are so advanced we won’t fall for the traps of his lies ?
But then James points away from the weight of temptation and deception to end with verse 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.”
All the good and beautiful things we have ever experienced come from God: baby’s giggles, the smell before rain, sunsets, little puppies, a child’s hug, the love of a friend, the counsel of a mentor, the gift of being seen, plentiful food, messing up and still being accepted, finding we can lean on another, the burden of our sins erased. The little to the big and everything in between – all the good and beautiful things in our lives are from our Father. And he does not waver. He is not fickle like we are, with good and bad days, tired and annoyed days. He is a rock, steadfast, immovable.
He is the giver of all good things, and we can count on him.
Photo by OC Gonzalez on Unsplash
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