God Is Good

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 
(James 1:17, ESV)

He is the Good Giver – Every good and perfect gift is from God.  All the good you have received is from God.  Think about all good things in your life – good relationships, provisions, life, good health, work, rest, pets, hobbies, warm weather, and so much more.  Every good thing you have is a gift from our good God.  And those good gifts are coming down – not they came down in past or will come down in future or sometimes trickles down.  No, it is a continuous coming down.  God’s goodness is always flowing down.  They have a new observation deck at Tahquamenon Falls to watch the water coming down.  And it is always coming down.  It never dries up.  In the same way, God’s good gifts are always coming down from the Good Giver.  His goodness never dries up.

He is the Good Creator – Father of lights points to the idea that God is the Creator.  He is the Father or originator of heavenly lights – the sun, moon, and stars.  And when God created them, He said that it was good (Genesis 1).  He is the Good Creator. 

He is Morally Good – Father of lights might also point to His purity.  He is the Father of lights not darkness.  “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5).  There is a moral purity, a moral goodness that characterizes our God.

He is the Unchanging One – God’s creation is always in flux.  The earth moves around sun, so the shadows are always changing.  But God is not like the shadows, He doesn’t change.  He wasn’t good yesterday but not today.  He was good, He is good, and He will be good.  God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

God is the unchanging morally good Creator and Giver who continually showers us with good gifts.  Praise the Lord!

Remain Steadfast Against Temptation

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
(James 1:14-15, ESV)

Our own desires lead to sin which leads to death.  How can we overcome?  James gives us a number of strategies in the first 18 verses of his book: 

We must recognize our responsibility.  It is our own desires that lead to sin (13-14).  We are not victims.  There is no one to blame but us.  So we must stand up and fight.

We must recognize the terrible result.  Sin may look fun and enjoyable, but it is the path to death (v15). 

We must receive a new heart.  This is where it starts.  We need to trust in Jesus and be made new with new desires (v18).

We must remember whose we are.  We are God’s servants (v1), so we must reject any desire that opposes Him.

We must rejoice in the goal.  God is using even temptations to make us mature in Christ (v2-4), so don’t despair.

We must request help from God.  We need to pray (v5-8), turning from our sinful desires to the One who can help us overcome.

We must reset our desires.  We need to turn from what the world chases after (v9-11) and set our desires on God and what He desires.

We must remember our hope.  The crown of life is coming (v12).  Sin and temptations will one day be over forever, so press on!

We must remain steadfast against temptation.  Don’t slack off.  Use the strategies given and keep fighting temptation.

Declaring the Glory

On By BrianIn Declaring the GloryLeave a comment

Copper Harbor, MI

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20

This Our Hymn of Grateful Praise

On By BrianIn Sermon Songs

This past Sunday, our church praised God for 250 years of freedom in America. For the occasion I adapted the hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth” with new verses focused on the blessings God has given to our country. Verse 1 and the refrain are from the original hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint. Verses 2-6 are new, thanking God for our land, provisions, and many freedoms. Lord of all to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise!

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth,
over and around us lies
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise

For the beauty of our land,
Towering mountains, plains and trees
Rivers, lakes and coastal sand,
Flow’ring meadows, buzzing bees
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise

For your provident bounty,
Homes and clothes, abundant food
For our opportunity,
Jobs to earn, enjoy such good
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise

For the noble chance to give,
To those in need with much less
For the simple chance to live,
In a land that God has blessed
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise

For the right we have to choose,
Those who lead our free country
And whether we win or lose,
Work as one for liberty
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise

For our freedoms one by one,
To assemble and free press
Free speech and free religion,
For them all our God we bless
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise

Verse 1 & Refrain by Folliot S. Pierpoint
New Verses 2-6 by Brian J. Mikul
To the tune of “For the Beauty of the Earth”
Copyright 2026 Brian J. Mikul.

Feel free to use this hymn with proper acknowledgements.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 13:20-25

On By BrianIn Hebrews Hymns

God raised from the dead our Lord Jesus
Our great Shepherd is with us each day
God’s Law is written deep within us
May God equip us to walk His way

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

This exhortation may we receive
Look to Jesus as we run our race
Jesus is better – may we believe
And let us walk in His saving grace
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

Purpose in Trials

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
(James 1:2-4, ESV)

Notice that there is a purpose in our trials.  Our trials are a testing of our faith.  Not to see if we have faith, but to test our very real faith.  The word has the idea of refining or purifying.  You put metal in a fire to melt it down and drain off impurities.  In the same way, our times in the fire are designed by God to refine and purify our faith. 

And this testing produces steadfastness or endurance.  You are more able to endure the same trial today than before because it has developed in you this steadfastness.  It is like lifting weights – you can endure more repetitions and more weight as your muscles are developed.  And you can endure more trials and harder trials as your faith is developed and strengthened.  You are gaining the ability to faithfully endure, to remain steadfast.

And this steadfastness then must have its full effect.  It must keep developing so that you might be perfect or mature – mature in this life, and perfect in the life to come.  So that one day you will be complete, lacking in nothing.

Your trials exist to help you grow in your faith and steadfastness to make you mature in Christ.  There is a purpose in your trials.

So rejoice expectantly.  Rejoice when you have trials because you know that it brings maturity.  We rejoice not in the trial but in the purpose.  We rejoice in expectation that our suffering is for our ultimate good.  Which means that we might at same time be weeping, struggling, crying out to God, and lamenting before Him.  We are not denying the hardship and all sorrow and struggle of our trials, we are just remembering the purpose.  So even as we wrestle, we can rejoice expectantly.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 13:8-16

On By BrianIn Hebrews Hymns

Do not follow strange, diverse doctrines
That subtract from or add to Jesus
He died to cleanse us from all our sins
He’s all we need – just stick with Jesus

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

Behold the sacrifice of Jesus
For Him will we gladly do the same?
He has prepared a city for us
So to all do good and praise His name
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

A Servant

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
(James 1:1, ESV)

Notice James’ self-description: “A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  That is his self-description.

Now that is not how I would do it.  If I was James, I would open it this way: “James, a brother of Jesus.”  Let me just remind you of how close I am to Him.  Recall my intimate connection to Him – we are brothers, you know. 

Wouldn’t you be tempted to play the brother card? 

That is how our world operates.  We try to impress each other with our connections – I know so and so, look at me!

James, a servant of God – just a servant.  And of the Lord Jesus Christ – not my brother but my Lord!  He is the master; I am just a servant.  He is the Christ, the promised King; I am just his servant.  I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is that your self-description?   Is that how you see yourself?  Would you introduce yourself that way?  Hi, I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As His servant then, let’s humbly serve him.  It’s not about you or me; it’s all about Him.  It’s not about what we want, but about what He wants.  It’s not about our amazing ideas, but about His truly wise plans. 

So let’s join James and humbly serve the Lord.  Serve Him in our homes.  Serve Him in our church.  Serve Him in our community.  Serve Him with our time and money.  Serve Him with our words and actions.  Serve Him even in our suffering.  Serve Him with whatever strength God gives us. 

We are servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.  So let’s humbly serve Him with all of our lives.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 13:7-8, 17-19

On By BrianIn Hebrews Hymns

Hear your leaders speak God’s Word to you
Their faith and life, imitate each day
Pray for them as they watch over you
Follow them as they show forth Christ’s way

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)