The Good Book Company (Australia) will be closed from Saturday 21st December until Thursday 2nd January. Any orders placed during this time will be held and dispatched on Thursday 2nd January 2025. Emails will still be checked. Apologies for any inconvenience this causes.
This afternoon we look at some verses from the book of James for advice on responding to temptation.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:16-18
Temptation is our desires telling us that we know what brings us joy—that the best life lies in following our feelings.
We are the firstfruits of God’s new creation (v 18). The firstfruits were the first part of the harvest, that spoke of even more to come. This means that we can know victory now, by turning away from ourselves and looking to the Father of lights to see the gifts He gives us. And we can know that ultimate victory is guaranteed us, not because of how good we are, but because of who God is—our unchanging, gift-giving, life-promising Father.
