James 1:17

           In any English class I have been in since high school, I have had to do some sort of literary analysis. The most important component of literary analysis is figuring out the thesis, or the main theme of the work. My favorite book of the Bible is James. The book of James consists mostly of common sense and simple Christian standards to live by; for example, James 2:12 "So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free." or James 3:5 "... the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches, but a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire." Because there are so many important points that James makes, it is hard for me to choose a single verse or even a single passage that could serve as James thesis. I think, though that James did have a main point that he wanted to get across. 1:17 says, "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, Who created all the lights in the Heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." For me, that could be the thesis of the entire Bible and touches on at least 3 of the most important things Christianity teaches.

• First: God created all that is beautiful in this world: red bud trees, new born babies, Spring mornings, our capacity to love Him. One could even throw vintage Stingray Corvettes and Dr. Pepper somewhere into that list. I believe that God imbued us with the capacity to create awesome things such as worship music and blogs to further His kingdom and bring Him glory.
• Second: That God would spend so much time creating each of those things just for us and allow us to take joy in inventing new things says a lot about God's love for us. Also, God created this universe, the Heavens and us. It is amazing to me that anyone who could spend their time creating stars and galaxies chooses to spend their time creating something like humanity. I mean, what has humanity done lately that even compares to the astounding beauty of the Milky Way galaxy? 
• Third: God is changeless. Of all the things that God does, changing is not one of them. Lately, on a personal, local and global level, nothing is certain. Except for God. He is full of love, compassion and forgiveness. That is certain.

James 1:18 "He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word, and we, out of all creation, became His prized possession."