| |
JAMES 3:17 “BUT THE WISDOM THAT IS FROM ABOVE IS FIRST PURE, THEN PEACEABLE, GENTLE, AND EASY TO BE INTREATED, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUITS, WITHOUT PARTIALITY, AND WITHOUT HYPOCRISY.” (KJV)
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.” (RSV)
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (NIV)
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable (willing to yield), full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” (NASB, NKJV)
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere.” (TLB)
OK, enough with the easy memory verses! This memory verse is harder…partially because it is longer, but also because it is a long list. I know that a lot of us do not like the “laundry list” verses. But there can be a great deal of wisdom that we can find in them. That makes them worthy of memory. Let me cite an example.
Just this week, I was preparing for an upcoming minister’s board meeting with our ministers’ association, the BMA. I was asked if I wanted to address a topic that I had previously had issues with. It is not important to this discussion what the topic was. The point is that I had issue with it and had previously expressed my disagreement with a certain decision.
I was asked if I wanted time in the board meeting to discuss the issue. I said I would pray about it. I did. To my surprise, direction from the Lord came later in the early hours of the morning when I know I heard His voice reminding me of this previously memorized Bible verse, James 3:17.
As hard as a verse may be to memorize sometimes, it is amazing how clearly the Lord can bring it back to my mind when He wants to use it to teach me something or give me His answer to a question. He used James 3:17 to do that this morning.
It took me a long time to memorize this “list” because it is kind of long. There are eight qualities or characteristics listed here which seem to define what wisdom “from above” is.
That morning, the Lord clearly asked me, “is your approach toward this issue pure?” “Have you expressed your concerns in a peaceable way?” “Did you demonstrate a gentle spirit when you stated your disagreements?” “Did your attitude show mercy and good fruits, the fruits of the Spirit that you might remember from Galatians 5:22?” “Remember that list you memorized too?”
Those of you who are now familiar with the format of the chapters of my books realize that I end these chapters with “Questions to Consider.” I’m not sure I need to add more questions after the ones I listed above. The Lord’s questions to me here are plenty!
The point is, if you memorize these verses of the Bible, “hide them” deep in your heart as well as your memory, the Lord is going to bring them back to you in times of need or trouble, when you need an answer. More than once I have been amazed how clearly a verse I had memorized before spoke to a specific issue in my life or answered a specific question I had asked Him. And just like that, I had my answer. The answer is particularly significant if, as I did above, I have to answer, “no, Lord, I have not been that way” or “no, Lord, I have not been living out the direction the verse from Your Word tells me I need to go.”
If you study the entire chapter of James 3, you will find that most of it deals with the tongue and how we use it. James quickly expresses to us the problem in verse 10 by saying, “out of the same mouth proceeds blessing AND cursing.” Of course, this ought not to be! Apparently, a lot of what comes out of our mouths has a lot to do with what wisdom there is inside of us.
James gives us lots of contrasts between heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom. He even goes so far as to say that wisdom will be demonstrated by good conversation and works with meekness. Then he gives us a “measuring stick” with which to determine if what we say and do is really wisdom from above or just from deep within our old, stinky flesh. There are eight of them.
Is it pure? Are my motivations for my argument really coming from pure motives, guided and directed by the Lord, or am I trying to make a point for my side of the argument? Sometimes, this results in lively, but often also divisive, discussion. Rarely, does this result in anything that can be described as peaceable.
Look real quickly and what James says in verse 18. “The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” When I am trying to make my point, I frequently leave peace behind. I don’t want to make peace…I want to win my argument! Maybe not so wise.
I have always wanted to have a gentle spirit about things. But, I have discovered that the Lord didn’t make me that way. Well, my old flesh that condemns me made me that way…I just keep it alive!
My mother, Doris Matthews, always demonstrated to me a gentle spirit that I pray for and have often wondered if I would ever inherit. A dear friend and mentor, Brother Joe Green, seemed to always demonstrate a gentle and unaggravated spirit, mostly demonstrated by always giving a soft answer (or often no answer) to any of my questions. I have had plenty of examples of gentle spirit. The Holy Spirit and I are still working on incorporating that kind of spirit in my life. Hmm.
I would like to think I am approachable, and “easy to be intreated.” But most of the time, I find that that means not being so quick to give the answer to a particular problem or question because I know I am sure I know the answer. Were you the kind of kid that always had his hand up when the teacher asked a question because you wanted to demonstrate that, AGAIN, you knew the answer?
Mercy has never been my strong suit. I’d more often like to be right than to demonstrate what might be described as patient with others and willing to listen first. This is probably why James spent so much time talking about the tongue just prior to this.
I hope I am full of good fruits and demonstrating those in my life. I know what the fruits of the spirit are…I memorized them from Galatians 5:22, remember? I’m not sure I am always checking myself to make sure I am demonstrating them in my speech and actions though. Oh look! There is gentleness again! I detect a trend here.
I think I do better with demonstrating impartiality and resisting hypocrisy. Like many others, I cannot stand hypocrites. Hypocritical attitudes and actions have probably done more to diminish the testimony of Christians than our actual sins. However, I am constantly being reminded by the Holy Spirit that even though I think I am doing well, a critical, prejudicial attitude can easily creep into the way I treat others. Just trying to be honest here.
OK. So, again, I realize that long lists of qualities and characteristics of holy living can be hard to memorize. The only way I handled that problem was to go over and over the verse and the long list numerous times until it was firmly planted into my memory. Of course, the only way to keep it there is to go over and over it…again, and again, and again.
That sounds like a lot of hard work. It is. But I also know it is worth it. Only by exercising this discipline are we able to get that Word hidden so the Lord can use it, bring it back to our memory and thoughts, and ply us into the image of Himself. That is what we are supposed to be doing after all.
Questions to Consider: As I mentioned, I listed lots of questions in the discussion above. Go over those again and see if they apply to where you are in your walk with the Lord. Let’s ask again, is this discipline worth all the work it seems to require? Does this experience of the Lord using Scriptures we have memorized to teach and lead us seem familiar to you too? How often does it seem like the Lord brings verses back to us in our prayer time? On a measuring scale of “the wisdom from above” that we know can be ours, where do you feel you are?
Other Verses to Study: James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all…” Ephesians 1:17 “…the Father may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Colossians 2:3 “(know) Christ, in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Matthew 11:19 “But wisdom is proved right by her actions.” Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God!”
 
|
|
