The Father of lights is an ancient Jewish expression for God as the Creator, with “lights” referring to the sun, moon, and stars. (See also Genesis 1:14-19.)
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for James 1:17.
Father of lights
James
Genuine faith
In James 2:15,16, James illustrates his point by comparing faith without works to words of compassion without acts of compassion. As James points out, for example, is if a brother or sister is without food and we wish them peace and to be filled, but don’t give them the things that are needed for the body. What does that well-wishing profit them?
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for James 2:15-16.
Let Faith Overcome Feelings
What we really need in our trials is wisdom, and that is exactly what James 1:5 tells us to request from God. Instead of focusing on the circumstances and letting feelings overcome our faith, we must shift our thoughts to the Lord and confidently believe He’ll give us the wisdom we need, both to handle the situation and to grow from it. Giving in to doubts is dangerous, and it could develop into a lifestyle of spiritual uncertainty in which we’re “driven and tossed by the wind” (v. 6). When we handle our misgivings in this way, we’ll often make wrong decisions that are costly. How much better it would be to anchor ourselves to the Lord and His Word and ride out the storm in peaceful assurance.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, May 17, 2018.
Faith in Troubles
We all experience variation in the strength of our faith. If all is well, we feel confident that the Lord is trustworthy, because we see His blessings all around us. But when troubles increase, so do our doubts about God’s faithfulness. We start to wonder whether He will ever answer our prayers for deliverance. As hard as we try, we can’t see Him working in the situation. And as our trials drag on, we begin to lose hope in God and may start looking for more reasonable ways to resolve the matter ourselves. James points us to a different perspective. Instead of thinking that the Lord has forgotten about us, he reminds us of God’s divine purpose for our hardships. They test our faith in order to produce endurance and maturity. Our Father isn’t trying to break us; rather, He wants to grow us and provide what is lacking in our spiritual life.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, May 17, 2018.
Interceding for a Nation
From our perspective as individual citizens, nations wield great power and authority, and it seems as if one person would be unable to bring about any change. But Christians can impact a nation with their prayers. In fact, the way we can play a part in reversing the downward trajectory of a nation is by interceding for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2-4). As James 5:16 tells us, the prayers of a righteous person can accomplish much. We should faithfully appeal to God on behalf of our country’s leaders.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional, July 4, 2022.
Finding Favor with God
There are people who work hard in an attempt to earn the favor of employers, parents, friends, and even God. The truth, however, is that divine approval cannot be earned. There’s only one way to acquire it, which Hebrews 11:6 states clearly, “Without faith is it impossible to please God” (NIV). Like the saints commended in Hebrews 11:1-40 for their faith, Christians today don’t have to strive for God’s favor. That’s because in Christ, we have been lavished with divine grace (Ephesians 1:8). Yet we sometimes tend to overlook the most basic examples of the Lord’s kindness to us: He provides for our needs, puts limits on suffering, answers prayers, encourages us in our trials, and offers His strength in our weakness. In fact, every good thing that comes our way is from His hand (James 1:17).
God’s goodness is stored up for those who fear Him and take refuge in Him (Psalm 31:19). But even though His favor isn’t something that can be earned, we still have a responsibility to live in a manner He finds pleasing. As was true for the role models of faith in Hebrews 11, God’s grace should motivate us to be righteous and blameless in our walk with Him.
The In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, December 20, 2021.
Effective Prayer
What a comfort to know that the Lord hears and responds to the petitions of the righteous.
Commentary from The In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, August 9, 2019.
Dead or Alive
Nonbelievers are so bound in the sphere of sin, the world (Eph. 2:12), the flesh (Rom. 8:8), and the devil (1 John 5:19) as to be unable to respond to spiritual stimuli; totally devoid of spiritual life. The spiritually dead have no ability to make themselves alive.
Only through a union with Jesus Christ can those hopelessly dead in their sins receive eternal life. Believer’s sins are all put to Christ’s account, nailed to His cross as He paid the penalty in their place, for them, thus satisfying the just wrath of God against crimes requiring punishment in full.
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Colossians 2:13,14.
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