Every Good & Perfect Gift
- Rebecca Montrone
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.”— James 1:17
Today is the day after Christmas, December 26, Boxing Day in the UK (woohoo!) and a day I like to enjoy quietly, nestled in with family and my gifts, trying them out, reading them, shutting out the normal events of routine life. I think that’s fairly typical for lots of us on this day “after Christmas!”
The idea of gifts and gift-giving itself intrigues me, and this is the perfect time to muse and reflect about God and His gifts. The verse above says:
Every good and perfect gift comes from God.
· Not some.
· Not only spiritual gifts.
· Not only “big things.”
“Every” means, well, “Every!”
The Weight of the Word “Every” – let’s take a closer look
James does not limit God’s gifts to salvation alone (though that gift stands supreme). He speaks of every good and every perfect gift.
That includes the ordinary goodness of daily life—the things Scripture itself openly celebrates, such as:
· Good health
· Meaningful work
· Friendships and family
· Shared meals
· Restful sleep
· Laughter
· Creative work
· A sense of purpose
· The simple pleasure of being alive in the world God made.
“Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.”— Psalm 104:23
Work is not presented as a curse here, but as a rhythm of a well-ordered life under God’s provision.
“I know that there is nothing better for them
than to rejoice and do good in one's lifetime;
moreover, that every man who eats and drinks
sees good in all his labor —it is the gift of God.”
— Ecclesiastes 3:12–13
Enjoyment itself is called a gift of God.
God’s Goodness Extends Even to the Unjust
Even though not all acknowledge God or give Him the “glory due unto His name,” His goodness is not limited to only those of us who believe.
“…for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
— Matthew 5:45
Rain—essential, life-giving rain—is given to all. God’s goodness flows from His nature, not from human merit or recognition.
“Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it…”
— Psalm 65:9
Those who enjoy God’s gifts without acknowledging Him are still enjoying His gifts. The source does not change simply because the Giver goes unrecognized.
A God Who Delights in Ordinary Human Life
Yes, God is holy, righteous, and just, but He is also deeply invested in the goodness of everyday human living.
“Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house:
thy children like olive plants round about thy table.”
— Psalm 128:3
Family life is pictured not merely as duty, but as blessing.
“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”
— Psalm 127:3
Even rest is named as God’s gift (Insomniacs? I’m sure you’ll agree!):
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:
for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
— Psalm 4:8
God is not opposed to joy, rest, satisfaction, beauty, or pleasure rightly enjoyed. Just the opposite! AND… remember that because we are created in His image, we enjoy the things we enjoy because they are things HE enjoys!
Song of Solomon: A Quiet Witness to Delight
The Song of Solomon stands as a gentle but unmistakable testimony that God affirms love, beauty, desire, and delight within His created order:
“My beloved responded and said to me,
‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.
‘For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
‘The flowers have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning the vines,
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.
‘The fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”
— Song of Solomon 2:10-14
God - “the Father of Lights”
Now, I am really drawn into this phrase with the wonder of a child!
James calls God “the Father of lights”—the Creator of all that shines.
What else does the Word have to say about God and His relationship with Light?
Genesis – The Foundation
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven
to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for seasons,
and for days, and years:
And let them be for lights in the firmament
of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.And God made two great lights;
the greater light to rule the day,
and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”
— Genesis 1:14–16 (KJV)
The Psalms – Worshipful Wonder
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth knowledge.”
— Psalm 19:1–2
“To Him that made great lights: for His mercy endureth forever:
The sun to rule by day:
for His mercy endureth forever:
The moon and stars to rule by night:
for His mercy endureth forever.”
— Psalm 136:7–9
(Here's a clever insight 😉—
Notice how creation is directly linked to God’s mercy, not merely His power.)
Then, the lights themselves are called to worship their Creator.
“Praise ye him, sun and moon:
praise him, all ye stars of light.”
— Psalm 148:3
God Numbers and Names the Stars!
“He telleth the number of the stars;
He calleth them all by their names.”
— Psalm 147:4
The Prophets – Majesty and Authority
“Thus saith the LORD,
which giveth the sun for a light by day,
and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars
for a light by night…
If those ordinances depart from before me,
saith the LORD,
then the seed of Israel also shall cease from
being a nation before me forever.”
— Jeremiah 31:35–36
God anchors His covenant faithfulness to the reliability of the lights He created.
“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things,
that bringeth out their host by number:
He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might,
for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.”
— Isaiah 40:26
The stars obey Him.
New Testament —Thundering Echo
“God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:6
The God who made physical light is the same God who gives spiritual light—this is one of my very favorite verses in the Bible out of one of my very favorite chapters in the Bible. I actually have had this entire chapter memorized since sometime in the 80s. That was when I was taking care of my mother, who died of Alzheimer’s dementia in her 50s.
This chapter is all about what is really going on behind the scenes when it comes to the perplexities of life and death, of health, illness and aging.
If you want to get lost in so much truth you are staggered with wonder, pour a fresh cup of tea, light the candles, and open your Bible to 2 Corinthians chapter 4… Jump in, swim around, and you’ll come out of the water changed in some way for the better. I promise.
And then let’s take a look at this phrase.
James says this about The Father of Lights:
“In Whom there is no shadow of turning…”
Unlike the lights He created—sun, moon, stars—God Himself does not change.
“For I am the LORD, I change not.”— Malachi 3:6
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”— Hebrews 13:8
Unlike absolutely anyone else absolutely anywhere, God’s perfect goodness never changes; He never gives a gift then takes it back, and He never gives a gift to deceive, or to schmooze, impress, or manipulate.
The unchangeableness of God is His greatest gift, when you stop and think about it, because if God were not trustworthy, none of the rest of any of this would even matter, not even Jesus Christ and the gift of salvation, because… What? He could just change His mind one day to the next!
An Important Warning About Gifts
One of the most confounding tendencies of we humans is to not only forget to acknowledge the Source of all we enjoy but to take credit ourselves!
When God was delivering the law to Moses, there is a section of warning that speaks exactly to this. He says to beware, when you are enjoying God’s blessing, lest:
“…thou say in thine heart,
My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God:
for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth…”
— Deuteronomy 8:17–18
Our abilities are gifts through which God blesses us and the work of our hands. Self-sufficiency is a lie. Life easily teaches that lesson early if we pay attention!
The Heart of a Giver
Think about how you feel when you give someone a gift, and I’m talking about someone close to you – not a gift purchased for a Yankee Swap. First, you want them to know you are thinking of them in a special way, that your gift demonstrates some understanding of them and the things that matter to them, and you want to see them light up and really enjoy the gift!
I remember one time years ago we were out to dinner with very good friends who had just finished construction on an amazing house. Michael leaned over at one point and said:
“I feel a little guilty.”
“Guilty? Why?” I asked.
“Well, it’s a lot,” he said with a touch of squirm.
I said, “God is the One who gave you this gift, Michael. When you give a gift to someone, say, a child, what do you want them to do? You want them to hug your legs hard and then run out of the room with it to go play! The last thing you want is for them to feel guilty!”
To which he replied, “Thank you for that.”
The Greatest Gift of All
All gifts ultimately point to The Gift.
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”— 2 Corinthians 9:15
The God who gives rain, work, rest, family, joy, beauty, and daily bread has given something beyond words:
His Son, Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
— John 3:16
The greatest Giver has given the greatest Gift. Today, the day after “the gifts have all been opened,” let’s snuggle in - or take a hike - whatever floats your boat, shut the world away, and enjoy!
I just found this most amazing rendition of The Blessing! This is the ancient blessing God instructed the priests of Israel to speak over His people—here sung from Jerusalem by believers from many nations. May it rest over you, your household, and the year ahead.
At its heart, The Blessing is simply Numbers 6:24–26:
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
The long awaited "Blessing" from 144 Harpists Live from Jerusalem. This is the 2nd track from "The King Is Coming" album that we are releasing. On October 3, 2022, during our annual All Nations Convocation Jerusalem and Watchmen's Tour of Israel (ANCJ), 144 harpists from 35 different nations, including Israel, gathered together with worshippers from 140 nations in Jerusalem to minister to the King on the Southern Steps of the Temple Mount.
Interested in knowing how to enter into a personal relationship with God through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Say a Salvation Prayer and Receive Jesus Christ Today.
Of course, the saying of a prayer is the reflection of a monumental and life-changing heart decision, but this is a good guide.
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