“Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17
One of the great sins mentioned in the context of the wrath of God being revealed, is thanklessness. Why? What do we have but that we have not received it? In considering the most elemental matters of creation, it is a truth that man had nothing to do with bringing them into existence. Even after man was created, it was God who provided everything for his well-being and sustenance, even life itself. From the earliest moments of his existence, man has been a receiver. However, though in the beginning before the fall, man only received that which was good, corresponding to the nature and goodness of God, now, after the fall when man chose to know “good and evil,” man has become a receiver not only of things good, but those things which are evil. The Apostle James reveals this to us when he writes of the tongue. Though created to speak only that which is good and holy, in accordance with the nature of God, James tells us that “…it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude, or likeness, of God.” (James 3:8,9) Why does man’s tongue do this? It is because he is a receiver of that which is good and evil. What is the remedy, God’s remedy, for such a circumstance as this, when man is born with a lost, and sinful nature, ever receiving from that dark pit of self that which is not of God, and expressing it so flagrantly in the world? The answer lies in an open mouth, a receptive heart, a willingness by the grace of God, to receive light and life from above in the Lord Jesus, so that the GIFT of His life should fill the soul and spirit of man.
In John’s gospel, he deals with this matter of receiving, and the grace of God given so that it can be so. He writes: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of god, to those who believe in His name.” (Jn. 1:12) The grace of God is given to men to catch a glimpse of something unexplained. This was the case of Moses and the burning bush. He saw it in the distance, could not explain it, but chose to go towards it to see why it burned, and yet was not consumed. This is how God works with men, to catch their attention, to awaken and to draw them towards Christ, the Light. It is when the soul is brought to realize his desperate need, his lostness, and that Christ can and will give the goodness of cleansing, and the provision of the Holy Spirit, that he falls down to RECEIVE that which only God can give. In other words, God brings to bring the soul to a point of receptivity. This is the beginning. With that willingness to receive comes the grace to repent, and to believe, by faith receiving not only the truth of God, but the very life of Christ by the Spirit.
The Giver of every good and perfect gift, is God. This He has proved by the giving of His Son. This He reveals in the written, living word, by the Spirit. The measure of the receiving is determined in great part by the faith in the faithfulness of God, according to His promise. The man who would receive little, because his vision of Christ is so small, will receive little. However, the one who seeks Christ, to know and love Him fully, is that one who opens his mouth WIDE, to receive all that God desires to give in Christ, for the glory of God, and the advancement of His kingdom. He is the one who receives much in order to give much.
Dear Father, Make us good receivers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.