No shadow of turning

(James 1:17) “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.”

Here is a glorious thought; “but since God cannot know the shadow of a turning, his ways will abide everlastingly the same”. Here is doctrine which will confirm that; “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.” (James 1:17) – Therefore God will never change his mind and his love will be everlasting and so too will His judgement be an everlasting one. We often make a decision and often it is soon forgotten as we contradict what we once held in stone; like chaff in the wind, blowing about with the changes of life; pressure from peers and the like often squeeze us until we buckle and end up sinning against God. It is not always someone else’s fault!

Remember how Adam was quick to turn and accuse Eve in the garden; “The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."” (Genesis 3:12) - Although she had her part to play in the equation that did not excuse Adam. It is the Apostle John who helps us understand; our hearts have been severely tainted by sin; “For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1John 2:16) - Sure all these influences have been designed by the arch enemy to take our eyes off the cross and fill them with false assurances and how effect they can be at times. BUT GOD cannot change He is who He is; He is the great I AM! His eternal decisions do not change on the whim of a mood swing.

He is not double minded and He supposes nothing, all things that God wills come to pass. The Apostle James teaches us that we must strive to have similar attributes. Not that we would or should ever believe that we are like God and whatever we determine will come to pass because we are great within ourselves. Try as one may but who has ever; “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

(Luke12:25) – I see many enter a false sense of security, believing something to be true when in fact it is not! False prophets a dime a dozen offering healing when in fact there is no curative. And some people run to them like a moth to a flame. This reasoning is not what we look for but rather let us strive to be like Jesus, the man who had no shadow of turning in His character, even when He was hard pressed and the walls of life look to close in, He never gave in to sin. What an amazing man! Jesus Christ the Lord both man and God. Yet as a man He laid down His powers and subjected Himself to the laws of aging and all that came with the natural frailty of the flesh, He nevertheless lived without sin, what an amazing accomplishment!

We have an instructing book to follow; the Bible is all we need to find the answers to life; the traps of life that so easily beset, the life giving water that quenches our soul and how in the midst of the storm we find peace. We must come to Jesus Christ the Lord and search Him out if we are to find the true answers to life. It is not enough to say we believe and when we see Him we just nod our head in acknowledgement. We must fall at His feet and honour him as the King of kings. It is not enough to put up our Christmas trees and place Santa Claus on the same pedestal as if he had anything to do with Christ’s sacrifice. In that sense God will never share His glory with another; “(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)” (Exodus 34:14) – So then it is also wrong according to the Bibles teaching to tolerate other gods in any form whatsoever. Like I said there are many traps that seem to stir a response out of our persona’s but they are often nothing more than that, traps and we often think that they aren’t.

Nevertheless our God is an Awesome God; He is not subject to our folly and the devils ploys which look to keep mankind living in sin. There is no shadow of turning in Him! He has now made a way for sinful man to find forgiveness for their sin; Jesus Christ the man has conquered sin by overcoming sin as a man.

A musician, Jim Croce sings a song that I think is very apt for this season, here are some of the song’s lyrics; “You say you love the baby but you crucify the man”. Many household worldwide celebrate Christmas and is willing to except baby Jesus but that will certainly not cut the mustard. For the following day the same person will use God’s name in vain. In other words they crucify the man and all he stands for. Let us be quick to make up our minds and repent if need be. Jesus Christ the man was crucified for our sins so that all those who turn to Him, confessing Him as Lord, believing in His resurrection from the dead, them and them alone will be saved. And for those who now belong to Him, He will not lose one of us. For in Him is not shadow of turning, praise His glorious name, Amen!

There will be gifts a plenty, but there is only one gift that will bring peace in the storms, praise the glorious name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ the Lord, the Son of the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Signing off

Tyrone