Friday after the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on October 13, 2023 by under
Scripture: James 3:13-18 (NKJV)
3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 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. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Devotion
What is the fruit of righteousness? What is it that righteousness produces? Let us examine the question this way: Who is the only one who is righteous? Our Lord Jesus is the only one who is righteous. He is the only one who perfectly fulfilled the Law of God. What then does His righteousness produce? What is the fruit of His righteousness? His righteousness produces forgiveness of all our sins as the Holy Ghost brings us to contrition and faith in Him. It produces an eternal life with our Lord and Savior in His kingdom with all of the saints and angels. And it produces rescue and salvation from all of our spiritual enemies, especially sin, death, and the devil.
St. James says that “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” This fruit of righteousness is sown among us by the Christ. The Holy Ghost uses preaching of the Christ to produce in us faith to cling to His works and merits. He is the one who made peace for us with the heavenly Father. We cling in faith to this promise of peace with the Lord God and are declared righteous. We then naturally produce the fruit of righteousness by the in-working of the Holy Ghost and do the other works that St. James lists in today’s reading: We become wise and understanding, and this produces peace, gentleness, and mercy for our neighbors in us.
Prayer: O God, forasmuch as without Thee we are not able to please Thee: Mercifully grant, that Thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
