The Heavenly Lights...
Today’s verse is another favorite of mine. I love the book of James, so when I realized there was a verse about LIGHT I was excited! James 1:17
Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change. (TPT)
It is obvious from the beginning of this verse that God has given us so much and it is freely given, and it is perfect. Because this is the week of Chanukah I am choosing to focus on verses about LIGHT and I want to see how the word is used in the verse.
This translation uses the phrase, “streaming down from the Father of lights…”
Our gifts are from the “Father of lights.” HE is the ULTIMATE PROVIDER of everything we have. We know that He shines through us and is the LIGHT within us. Once again it is very clear that GOD is the LIGHT, not us.
It seems that every verse so far points us to HIM. It is because of HIM that we have LIGHT in this world! And because HE is LIGHT there will be no hidden shadow or darkness. HE will never change.
Today, for some reason, I chose to read the verse in another translation also. Here it is in the CJB
Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who made the heavenly lights; with him there is neither variation nor darkness caused by turning.
In this translation the first part of the verse is basically the same. There are good acts of giving and perfect gifts that come from above…
The second line is a bit interesting. It says, “coming down from the Father who MADE the heavenly lights.”
This version chooses to focus on the fact that God is Who MADE the lights. And HEAVENLY LIGHTS would be the sun, moon, and stars. It is a reminder that the Person who CREATED the Heavenly lights is the One Who is taking care of us!
We are not supposed to worship the heavenly lights, however, they are there for a reason. The stars and planets lined up to bring us the bright star of Bethlehem. The Hebrew calendar follows the cycle of the moon. The Jews look for the new moon and begin a new month. This is how they plan for Nissan 14, which is Passover, and Kislev 25 which is Chanukah. God placed the lights in the heavens so we can follow HIS times and seasons.
I pray that as you look at this verse you are reminded once again to share HIS LIGHT with those around you. That you take HIS LIGHT into the dark places. That you take care of yourself because HIS LIGHT is inside of you.
Love and blessings,
Rose
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