HE DOESN’T FIND FAULT!

Friday 4 October

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5 (NIV)

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:45b (NIV)

When some folks think of God, they imagine a grumpy old man sitting on a throne with a long white beard, holding a sledgehammer in His hand just watching and waiting for them to step out of line and then wham!

Nothing could be further from the truth. God is not angry or vindictive towards anybody. These traits are not of God. It is sheer ignorance and naivety on our part to call the character of a loving and benevolent God into question.

God doesn’t have any dualism in his nature. He says ‘I am the Lord, I change not’. He is only good; only light.

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

The AMPC version of James 1:5 refers to Him as ‘the giving God’ in the original text. Apostle James wanted us to know this particular characteristic of the Father.

Notice that although speaking to Jewish Christians, it was written in a way to be accessible for everyone. He gives ‘generously to all’. All means all. He is generous!

James 1:17 tells us that ‘every good and perfect gift comes from above.’

This is not an exaggeration. If it is good and if it is perfect, then it came from God. He is referred to as the ‘Father of lights in whom there is no shadow of turning’.

He doesn’t find fault with anyone including you. God is not out to get you in in the way most people believe. He is out to get you in the sense that He sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice to take the penalty of your sin and die in your place. He’s out to get you and everybody else saved and in a vital relationship with Him.

‘No shadow of turning’ with Him shows that He will never reject or turn away from anyone. The reason God is not looking at our faults and judging us is because He judged Jesus for our sakes and He sees everyone through the finished work of the cross.

This ultimately takes place when you come into Christ.

If any man be in Christ he is a new creation, old things are passed away, behold (see) all things have become new 2 Corinthians 5:17

Despite what you may have been told, God does not play favourites. For example some believe that Christians get special privileges when it comes to financial increase but it is not the case.

If being a Christian was the qualification for being financially wealthy then what about Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Jack Ma. I don’t think they got the memo.

‘He causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on the evil and the good, the righteous and the unrighteous.’

God is generous to all. He doesn’t find fault with anyone. He doesn’t reject anyone. He doesn’t withhold from anyone. It is not in His nature.

Jesus was the manifestation of the generosity of the Father who only knows how to give.

For God so loved the world that He gave…John 3:16a

God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world…John 3:17a

Jesus didn’t come to this earth to condemn us or find fault with us. He came to save us.

Think about this for a moment. When someone brought a lamb to the temple for sacrifice, the priest didn’t accept it based on the person’s merits. It was purely based on the unblemished sacrifice that was given on their behalf.

In the same way, God’s not looking at you and your merits to see if you qualify. He’s looking at the sacrifice that was offered in your place.

Because of Jesus perfect sacrifice for sin on the cross, in Christ, He finds no fault with you. Learn to see yourself and others the way He sees you; holy, unblameable and unreprovable in His sight.

APPLICATION

‘When men are cast down you will say there is a lifting up Job (22:29).’ Make up your mind that you will be a blesser and a lifter of people, choosing to see the good in others, not finding fault.