There are some childhood gifts you never forget.
For me, it was a GI Joe with the Kung Fu Grip. That thing was legendary. I waited, hoped, and finally one year—it showed up, right there under the tree. I was fired up. But after about three weeks, something happened. It wasn’t that the toy broke. It wasn’t that it stopped working.
The problem was simple: I stopped using it the way it was intended.
I got bored. I got “creative.” I started using it in ways it was never designed to be used, and before long, that good gift was tossed aside, half-forgotten.
Nothing was wrong with the gift.
What was wrong was how I handled the gift.
Hold that thought, because it’s the perfect doorway into this powerful verse:
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
God says every good gift and every perfect gift comes from Him. Not some. Not most. Every one. And He repeats Himself—good and perfect—to get our attention. When God gives, He does not give junk. He does not give halfway, almost-there blessings. His gifts are solid, complete, and beneficial.
But just like that GI Joe, there is always this question:
What am I doing with what God has given me?
The Greatest Gift… and How We Handle It
Let’s start with the greatest gift of all.
Romans 10:9–10
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Salvation is a gift. You don’t earn it. You don’t pay for it. You don’t work up to it. You confess and believe, and God gives you eternal life in Christ.
Now, here’s where people get tripped up under the umbrella of Christianity. We look at someone’s behavior and say:
“Well, they’re doing this and this and this. They can’t be saved!”
But according to Romans 10, if they truly confessed and believed, then salvation is God’s gift to them. The issue isn’t whether the gift is real. The issue becomes:
Are they using that gift as it was intended?
A believer can absolutely live in a way that does not match the gift they’ve received.
That doesn’t mean the gift isn’t real; it means it isn’t being handled properly.
If I take my GI Joe and throw it against the wall, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good gift. It means I’m misusing what I’ve been given.
God has given us the gift of salvation, the gift of the new birth, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of His Word. These are good and perfect gifts. The question is not, “Are the gifts good?” The question is, “How am I responding to them?”
Our purpose in this blog is not just to remind you that God gives—but to stir you to act on what He has given. To handle His gifts the way they were designed: with faith, obedience, and reverence.
The God Who Does Not Change in a World That Never Stops Changing
Back to James:
“…from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
Think about that.
No variableness. No shifting. No shadow of turning.
I remember working in corporate America. At first, it was suit and tie every day. Then someone announced: “Casual Friday.” Well, that sounded good. No tie. Then no jacket. Then, before long, people were showing up like they rolled out of bed—almost in pajamas and little tube tops—and you just knew: An email is coming. Sure enough, by Friday afternoon, a memo hit the inbox: “About the dress code…”
Why? Because the world is always changing. Whatever the standard is today, give it a few months and it will slide a little more. Morals shift. Fashion shifts. Values shift. Definitions shift. What was unthinkable one decade becomes normal the next.
But listen to the voice of your God:
Malachi 3:6
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
The world spins. The culture sways. The trends recycle—some of you still remember the bell bottoms and psychedelic shirts! Now the kids are bringing them back and acting like they invented them.
But above all of that movement, God does not change.
His character does not change.
His promises do not change.
His Word does not change.
His gifts do not change.
That is why we must root our lives, not in the shifting sands of cultural convenience, but in the unchanging Rock of God’s character and His Word.
Firstfruits of an Unchanging God
James continues:
James 1:18–19
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
God begat us—brought us into being spiritually—by the word of truth. You and I, as born-again believers, are called “a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” In other words, we are the early harvest, the visible evidence of what His Word can produce in a human life.
If God doesn’t change—and He doesn’t—
If His gifts are good and perfect—and they are—
Then our lives should become living demonstrations of that stability, that goodness, and that truth.
James gives us a very practical way to express that:
“Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”
That’s firstfruits living.
That’s what it looks like when we handle God’s gifts properly.
Swift to Hear: Listening With the Intent to Act
The word “hear” in James 1:19 is from the Greek akouō—it’s more than just sound waves hitting your eardrums. It means to listen with the intent to act, to understand, to respond appropriately.
We often flip that around. We’re swift to speak, slow to hear, and quick to react. That’s not firstfruits living. That’s flesh living.
Stephen Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
That’s actually a very biblical way to approach relationships. As believers, we should be the best listeners in the room, not waiting for our turn to talk, but genuinely leaning in to understand.
Sometimes, when I slow down and ask a few questions, I find out that what I thought I understood—I didn’t understand at all. The whole situation turns, and I realize, “Good thing I didn’t fire off that first response!”
Being swift to hear means:
- Listening with the intent to comprehend, not just to reply.
- Giving room for others to explain, clarify, and be known.
- Listening for God’s wisdom in the middle of the moment.
Look at Jesus:
John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
“As I hear, I judge.”
Even Jesus, walking in perfect unity with the Father, says His actions and decisions are rooted in what He hears from the Father. That’s our pattern.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can say is:
“I hear you. I’m not sure I fully understand yet. Can I have some time to pray and get back with you?”
That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom. It’s a response, not a reaction. It’s giving room for God’s Word and God’s peace to shape your words.
Slow to Speak: Refusing the World’s Scripts
James also says we should be slow to speak.
We live in a world of Influencers. They exist to tell you:
- How to think
- How to react
- Who to love
- Who to hate
- What to be outraged about this week
And if we’re not careful, we’ll start parroting the world’s scripts instead of speaking out of the Word’s truth.
I remember being in a training program once. As people got to know each other, it came up that I enjoy classical music and that I play tennis with my daughter. One of the men in the group was genuinely surprised.
Why? Because I’m black.
In his mind, a black man liking classical music and playing tennis did not fit the stereotype. He had already “decided” what he thought he knew about me and my family. His thinking was shaped by generalities and assumptions, not actual understanding.
That’s what happens when we let the world’s influencers teach us how to see one another. We put people in boxes. We assume. We generalize. We speak too quickly and too harshly. But as firstfruits, as children of an unchanging God, we are called to be slow to speak. To let our words be shaped by the Word, not by the world.
Before you speak, ask:
- Have I really understood?
- Am I responding out of the Spirit or reacting out of habit?
- Will this build up or tear down?
- Is this my opinion—or God’s truth?
Slow to speak is not silence forever—it’s speech seasoned by Scripture.
Slow to Wrath: Trusting the God Who Never Changes
Then James adds: “slow to wrath.”
Why?
Because “the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20)
The spiritual realm is always trying to move us into wrath—into hot temper, rage, revenge. But the anger of man never produces the righteousness of God. It doesn’t heal; it hardens. It doesn’t free; it festers.
Scripture is clear:
Romans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
Colossians 3:8
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
We don’t have to take revenge. We have an unchanging God who has already promised: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”
Now, does that mean we never stand up for ourselves? No. We absolutely should stand in truth and justice. But we do not allow ourselves to be driven by wrath. We don’t live with a chip on our shoulder. We don’t let bitterness set up shop in our hearts.
You lend money to a family member or a friend and they never pay you back. That hurts. That’s real. But you have a choice: let it turn into wrath and poison your heart—or release it to God and walk in freedom.
Personally, I learned a long time ago: when I give, I give as if I may never see it again. That way, if it comes back, praise God; if it doesn’t, I’m not in bondage to bitterness.
We live free because we are connected to a God who does not change.
People change. Circumstances change. Bank accounts change.
But God’s character and His care for you do not.
We can look someone in the eye who is mistreating us and think—not in arrogance but in holy confidence:
“You really don’t want to mess with me. I am a child of the One true God who never changes. He’s my defender.”
That doesn’t mean we wish them harm. It means we refuse to carry wrath. We hand justice over to the unchanging Judge and choose to walk in peace.
Handling the Gift: Living as Firstfruits in a Shifting World
Let’s circle back.
God has given us good and perfect gifts:
- Salvation through Christ
- The Holy Spirit
- His unchanging Word
- A new identity as His offspring, His firstfruits
There is nothing wrong with the gifts.
The question is: How are we handling them?
Are we living like everyone else—quick to speak, quick to wrath, slow to hear?
Or are we living like firstfruits—swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath?
Are we letting the world’s constant change dictate our reactions, or are we anchored in the God who declares:
“I am the LORD, I change not.” (Malachi 3:6)
In practical terms, here’s how we handle the gift properly:
- Get back into the Word daily.
Read James 1 slowly this week. Read Malachi 3:6 and Deuteronomy 32:4. Ask God, “Show me where I’ve treated Your Word like a toy instead of a treasure.” - Practice “swift to hear” in one relationship.
Choose one person—spouse, child, coworker, neighbor—and intentionally listen to them with no interruption, no fixing, no rebuttal. Ask questions. Seek to understand. - Give yourself space before speaking.
When something triggers you, say out loud if you need to: “I need a little time to think and pray. I’ll get back to you.” That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom. - Refuse to live in wrath.
Name that one situation where anger still simmers—a debt unpaid, a word spoken, a betrayal remembered. Bring it to God. Tell Him the truth about how it feels. Then choose to release it into His hands. You may have boundaries with that person—but you don’t have to be bound by wrath. - Ask God to make you an example of firstfruits.
Let Chere’s example inspire you: simple acts of kindness, prayers offered, encouragement shared with people who may never thank you. That’s firstfruits living—showing the world there is a standard, a steadiness, a hope that does not change.
A Call to Action
We do not live in an easy age. The world is loud, fast, divided, and constantly shifting. But that is exactly why these truths matter so much right now.
- We have good and perfect gifts from a good and perfect God.
- We serve a Father of lights with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
- We are called and empowered to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
- We are firstfruits—examples of what God’s Word can do when it is believed and acted on.
Don’t be like the kid with the GI Joe who tossed it aside after a few weeks.
Don’t treat God’s Word like a novelty—exciting at first, optional later.
Pick it back up.
Read it.
Believe it.
Act on it.
Let’s handle the gift the way it was intended. Let’s live like our God really is our everything—the unchanging Rock in a changing world.
And as we do, may a watching world see in us a different way to live: steady, compassionate, peace-filled, rooted not in trends, but in Truth.
