Blessings from Above

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 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 1:16-17 ESV)

Most of us recognize how fortunate we are. We live in a very prosperous land. We live in a place where even the poor are wealthy by the standards of the rest of the world. We have all that we need from day to day.

We have a home, in which to rest and keep safe. We have food to sustain us from day to day. We have so much clothing, it clutters our home. We have our health. We have the strength and talent to work. We have family and friends who support us and share life with us. We could go on and on, listing the blessings we possess.

However, even though this is true, we often take these blessings for granted. We think and act as though we’re entitled to them. We think and act as if we’ve earned these blessings.

It is true that we work and earn the money to pay for the things that we need. All we have to do is look in our checkbook to know this is true. But we fail to realize there’s much more to it than that.

As God reminded the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 8, it’s because of the Lord that they lived in such a bountiful land. And even though they worked for the wealth they possessed, it was the Lord who have them the strength to work and the power to get wealth. They would have nothing apart from the Lord.

The same is true for us as well. Without God, we would have nothing. Without the Lord, we wouldn’t even exist. As James reminds us in the passage above, everything we have, every good and perfect gift, is from above. It’s a gift from God.

And this is something that is constant. It remains true throughout time. It remains true because our God is unchanging.

May we, then, recognize this truth and give to him the praise and glory he’s due. Let’s offer to him our thanks for the many blessings we possess. And may we continue to trust in him, each and every day, knowing that he will provide for us everything we need.