If you are wise and
understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works
with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish
ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness
are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and
demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you
will find disorder and evil of every kind.
But the wisdom from
above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and
willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It
shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
James 3:13-17
The other day, I was figuratively thrown under the
bus. In a discussion, I had said something that was the truth as I knew
it only to have someone else give an entirely different version of it.
Furthermore, they said that not only was I naïve about it but also too
nice to recognize that it even existed. Having heard this, there was a
part of me that wanted to go into a demeaning tirade toward that person.
However, I stopped and paused to reflect for a moment. What stopped
me? When everything in my body wanted to just ‘light them up like a
Christmas tree,’ why did I hold my tongue? My only explanation was that
this must be what wisdom is about. When everything in you wants to rage
out of control saying the angriest, cursed, and vehemently horrible things that
you feel inside, something within says, “Wait. No not yet. Just
wait. There is a better way to respond to this.” It is that
something within that gives you an opportunity to where you might actually help
that person instead of destroy them. In this case, I would later sit down
with that person to discuss when the right time to bring something up is.
God wants for us to
walk with wisdom in our journey of faith by tempering down that which we might often
say or do. Everyone growing up should
remember the saying ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never
hurt me.’ Those who truly believe that
obviously had not read too much of the 3rd chapter of James, which says,
“People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but
no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who
have been made in the image of God.” (James 3:7-8) While actions definitely
speak louder than words, our words do matter.
If I cannot use the restraint that comes from wisdom to control what I
say, then I run the risk of offending and/or hurting others, which is not what
God would intent. This is not to say to
be dishonest as verse 14 clearly states we should not be. However as verse 17 also states, the truth
should be peace loving, gentle, full of mercy, and the fruits of good
deeds. It’s knowing who to call ‘jerk’
and who to ask, “Do you think it was the best way to handle that?” If we are following and growing in Christ, we
gain the wisdom to distinguish between the two.
Gaining wisdom from God is a vital step of our growth toward
being a true follower of Christ. Today’s verses speak of wisdom that is
an inspiration toward doing the right things. When our words are in lock
and step with our good deeds, others, both believers and non-believers, benefit
as they stand to see the glory of God from within us. Thus, a controlled
response followed with actions from one’s humble heart will always be
reflective of true wisdom from God. What greater wisdom can you gain from
measuring your responses? Will you commit to ensure your words match your
actions? My prayer is that we are inspired to act with God’s true wisdom
in our minds, hearts, and mouths. Amen.
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