Devotion for Monday, September 5th, 2011

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. James 1:13

We learn a really important truth about God in this verse today.  It speaks to God’s sovereignty (God’s being in control).  God does not cause difficult things to go on in our lives, but He does allow difficult circumstances to come.  The Bible says that God is not tempted with evil.  God is so fully perfect that He has no capacity for evil.  He can’t do anything wrong.  It is His nature to do rightly (the Bible term is righteously.)  Righteousness, or rightness, really does flow from who God is.  Something is right or righteous because it is what God would do.
Here is something you can take comfort in today.  Your difficult circumstance, problem, trial, or temptation did not find its source in God.  Yet, at the same time, nothing can happen to you that God does not already know about and allow.  According to Romans 8:28-29, God allows these things to work for the good of His kids to make them more and more like His Son Jesus Christ.

Application:
What are you going through right now?  Are you asking God to learn and grow from it?  Take a few moments to talk to God about it today.  For further study-Take a few moments to read Romans 8.