God Is Still In The Blessing Business

Pastor James C. Ward

January 25, 2026

Sunday Morning

James 1:16-17

(16) Do not err, my beloved brethren. (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.

Introduction

This popular phrase, “God is still in the blessing business,” is part of the Black oral tradition. It was started during the Great Depression, when business after business failed. It was an affirmation of the faithfulness of God. It asserted that God would never “go out of business,” no matter how difficult the times would become. His business of providing salvation, grace, and mercy would never enter into bankruptcy. His business would never be under new management, because there is no one greater than our God.

Now, let’s look at our text. James is writing during a time of great persecution of the church. In the first fifteen verses, he tells them to have patience and even count it joy when Satan is attacking them. If Satan is attacking you, it is a very good indication that you are on the Lord’s side.

Then, in verses sixteen and seventeen, he abruptly changes the tone and the content of the conversation. If I may paraphrase: “Even though you are going through difficult times and experiencing trials and tribulations, please do not forget that God is still in the blessing business. He blesses us with good and complete gifts. He is stable and not like the moving shadow produced by a sundial. In fact, He is not a shadow; God is pure light. He is the Father of all lights, because He created the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the other shining bodies you see in the sky. Don’t let your difficult days make you forget that God is still blessing you.”

Exposition

1. God Is The Single Source Of All Good Things.

(God Uses Others, But He Is The Beginning Of The Supply Chain.)

(He Continually Blesses Us With Good Gifts.)

(Some Of The Most Precious Gifts Are Not Material.)

2. God’s Gifts Are Always Good, Even When We Don’t Realize It Initially.

(Sometimes, His Refusal Is A Blessing.)

(Sometimes, His Delay Is A Blessing.)

3. God’s Gifts Keep On Giving Forever.

(He Gives Us Eternal Life.)

(His Gifts Do Not Depreciate.)

Closing Thoughts

James, like others of his day, saw that the celestial bodies had different phases of movement and rotation, changed from night and day, and varied according to the season. However, God does not follow that pattern. He is changeless, and therefore, He will always be in the blessing business. Allow me to quote an anonymous author:

“God is the Father of lights. His spiritual light is superior to the natural light of the sun. The sun is bright, but we enjoy its benefit only during the day. Half of our time is spent in darkness. God gives spiritual light continually. God is ever present to give of His love, of His mercy, and of His guidance to meet the deepest needs of our lives. Since God is ever present, we should be ever thankful.”

Let me add this: Since God is still in the blessing business, we should still be in the worshipping business.

Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory!

End Note

The Greek word for shadow could also be translated as shade. The shade from a tree is really a shadow. Some scholars think that James is using the analogy of a person sitting under a shade tree relaxing and avoiding the direct rays of the sun, and has to keep moving around the tree to remain in the shade. We all have done this at picnics and at barbeques. However, he wanted to make it clear that God is not a shadow. If there is a shadow, God produced the light to create the shadow. He did not want the analogy to be misleading. The main idea is that God does not change.