Thursday, July 03, 2014

Marsha's Musings: Chosen by His Will, We Come by The Word of Truth (James 1:16-18 NKJV)

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (James 1:16-18 NKJV)

If we trace everything back to the Giver of good gifts, we have much to be thankful for.  For example, many of the clothes we wear are made from oil based products.  Where does the oil come from? The ground. Who put the oil there? God did. So the ultimate Giver of these clothes is God. How about the ability to travel by airplane?  How did man get the idea to make an airplane? By watching the birds. Who put the birds in the sky for man to get the idea for flying and designing a flying machine? God did.
You can do this with everything we have.  Every good and perfect gift is from God.

The perfect gift was the gift of Jesus Christ Who came in human form to take the punishment for our sin upon Himself on the cross.  We learn about this through the word of truth, the Bible. What popped out at me in this passage was the fact that God is the one who brings us forth into His family through the word of truth.  Not only that, but He does this by HIS OWN WILL.  It's not our will or decision that saves us, it is His will. 

Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (James 1:18 NKJV)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13 NKJV)

We come to Him because He chose us to come before the foundation of the world.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (Ephesians 1:3-5 NKJV)

And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (John 6:65 NKJV)

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (John 15:16 NKJV)

We must not forget the mode by which we come to Christ.  It is by the word of truth. This is why we have missionaries and why we are commanded to tell others about the Gospel. It is the means by which God calls those He has chosen to Him. 

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