James 3:13-17
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
James 3:13-17 NKJV
“Who is wise and understanding among you?” How often do we consider ourselves wise in this things we do and the things we say? How often do we think that our way is the best way because we know what we are talking about? And I'm not even talking about spiritually yet. I'm just talking about in day to day life. “Trust me this is what you want to do.” Or “I know what I'm talking about?” But how many times when we say or do things like these are we proven completely and utterly wrong? When really we had no clue what we were talking about or maybe we just thought we might know how. So if we had no idea what we were talking about, then why would we say we did? Why would we claim to know how to do something correctly or know what words a person needs to hear when truly we don't know? It's because we aren't really seeking to help that other person or group of people. We are seeking to better ourselves. We want to seem smart or funny or cool or interesting or whatever it is. We are trying to bring attention to ourselves through helping the person or people instead of just putting our own wants and desires aside to truly help others. But at times it isn't that simple. It takes time to truthfully analyze our decisions to judge whether or not the motives for making that decision are selfish or not. To tell if it is our flesh speaking to us or our heavenly wisdom speaking to us. The other day I made a comment to someone that I originally thought was a comment made out of selflessness. That I made to instill confidence and appreciation. However, immediately after making the comment and reading this passage I realized that it was a comment that derived from a fleshly wisdom and wasn't wise at all. All it did was instill anger and confusion in both myself and the person I made the comment to. It did not instill peace and it did not instill good fruits. If only I had thought on the consequences of my statement instead of focusing on my selfishness for wanting to make the remark I might have been able to realize how unwise I was being and I wouldn't have hurt the person I made the comment to. Honestly speaking I am a selfish man who often lets his inner desires twist his mind into believing that what he does and says is actually righteous. And the times where I actually am acting selflessly I am constantly at war with myself with trying to keep my motives and thoughts pure and selfless. II Corinthians 10:5 NKJV “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”. So many times I fail to adhere to this verse because I am too busy not thinking about where my thoughts are originating from (flesh or spirit) and instead just looking to see how they will impact me. I need to truly look into myself when I act and truly see if my actions adhere to these IBS verses and Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”. I applied this verse by going to the person I made this comment to and apologized and told them why I knew that what I said was wrong.
James 3:13-17 NKJV
“Who is wise and understanding among you?” How often do we consider ourselves wise in this things we do and the things we say? How often do we think that our way is the best way because we know what we are talking about? And I'm not even talking about spiritually yet. I'm just talking about in day to day life. “Trust me this is what you want to do.” Or “I know what I'm talking about?” But how many times when we say or do things like these are we proven completely and utterly wrong? When really we had no clue what we were talking about or maybe we just thought we might know how. So if we had no idea what we were talking about, then why would we say we did? Why would we claim to know how to do something correctly or know what words a person needs to hear when truly we don't know? It's because we aren't really seeking to help that other person or group of people. We are seeking to better ourselves. We want to seem smart or funny or cool or interesting or whatever it is. We are trying to bring attention to ourselves through helping the person or people instead of just putting our own wants and desires aside to truly help others. But at times it isn't that simple. It takes time to truthfully analyze our decisions to judge whether or not the motives for making that decision are selfish or not. To tell if it is our flesh speaking to us or our heavenly wisdom speaking to us. The other day I made a comment to someone that I originally thought was a comment made out of selflessness. That I made to instill confidence and appreciation. However, immediately after making the comment and reading this passage I realized that it was a comment that derived from a fleshly wisdom and wasn't wise at all. All it did was instill anger and confusion in both myself and the person I made the comment to. It did not instill peace and it did not instill good fruits. If only I had thought on the consequences of my statement instead of focusing on my selfishness for wanting to make the remark I might have been able to realize how unwise I was being and I wouldn't have hurt the person I made the comment to. Honestly speaking I am a selfish man who often lets his inner desires twist his mind into believing that what he does and says is actually righteous. And the times where I actually am acting selflessly I am constantly at war with myself with trying to keep my motives and thoughts pure and selfless. II Corinthians 10:5 NKJV “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”. So many times I fail to adhere to this verse because I am too busy not thinking about where my thoughts are originating from (flesh or spirit) and instead just looking to see how they will impact me. I need to truly look into myself when I act and truly see if my actions adhere to these IBS verses and Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”. I applied this verse by going to the person I made this comment to and apologized and told them why I knew that what I said was wrong.
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