8.4.2026 - Jody Duncan

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4

James 1:17

God gives us his goodness.

Today we read James 1:17. Read the passage now or at the end of this devotion. What does it tell us about the unchanging nature of God’s goodness?

In this chapter, James is speaking to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.” This verse is James’ correction to those who blame God for their waywardness. They contend that if only God did not tempt them, they would not sin. James reminds them that God does not tempt men to sin. God, he reminds them, offers only goodness.

Moreover, God is the source of all light; but, unlike sunlight, God’s light produces no shadows.

No shadow, no temptation, no sin. God’s gifts to us are good and perfect.

I’ve heard non-believers state that they cannot embrace a God who created such an evil world; but, of course, scripture tells us that God is not the source of that evil. He is, rather, the goodness that responds to it. He is the goodness that confronts evil and stands strong against it. God is the goodness that comforts those hurt by evil.

I am often struck by how achingly, even ridiculously familiar the characters in scripture are. Apparently, human nature doesn’t change. Thousands of years pass, but we fully recognize the ancients as they lie and cheat. We recognize them as they complain and show resentment and jealousy. We recognize them when they blame their own weaknesses on God, as these gathered to hear James have done.

We recognize it all because we are guilty of it all. We are the same as this crowd listening to James.

“God let this tragedy befall me,” we say, “so OF COURSE I started drinking again! It’s all his fault.”

We tell ourselves and others: “I would never have cheated on my wife if God had not put that beautiful woman at the hotel bar.”

We convince ourselves that we are right to be jealous of our neighbor because “just look at everything God gave him! And just look at everything God DIDN’T give me!”

We blame everything and everyone, including God, for our sins.

Conversely, we give ourselves credit for the good things in our lives!

“I worked hard, so I deserve the promotion I got.”

“I was a wonderful mother, so no wonder my child is doing so well in school.”

“I exercise and eat well, and that’s why I am healthy.”

The equations in some sinful minds go like this:

Anything good – our doing.

Anything bad – God’s doing.

This is nearly always the inverse of reality. I can’t speak for anyone else, but in my life, many of the bad outcomes I experienced were the direct result of my sinful nature. For example, it took me fifteen years – yes, FIFTEEN YEARS – to finish my college bachelor’s degree because of the sin of valuing fun more than I valued my education. I suffered many years of a chaotic life due to the dual sins of foolishness and lack of discernment.

By contrast, my successes in life were God’s doing. My career path was remarkable, unexpected, unearned, and laid out for me by a loving God who knew me and my abilities far better than I did. The gift of healthy children and grandchildren was God’s doing. My own good fortune, health wise, has not been what I deserved or worked for, but rather what has been given to me as a gift from God.

Today, let us remind ourselves that ALL good and perfect gifts come from God – unchanging, and full of light.