Friday after the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on October 21, 2022 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
Worldly wisdom is always looking for an audience. It looks to show others up and will use whatever dirty tricks it needs to win the battles it chooses. It is what comes from our flesh and feeds on the praise of the dead worldlings. Instead of loving the truth, it loves what it has constructed to replace God’s truth. Its own confusion resonates with the confusion of the rest of the self-seeking, fallen heirs of Adam. It justifies what is impure, what seeks its own desires, and what clings to self-will.
True, godly wisdom is meek. That is, it doesn’t say, “Look at me!” but “Look at the Lord! See how kind and good He is! Even though His judgment and punishments have been very severe, He does them all so that man might repent and live, purely by His grace and favor!” The wisdom from above doesn’t strive to get and to keep things for itself. It follows the Father’s pattern in giving the dearest treasure away. It seeks to bring clarity of thought that can come only from the forgiveness of sins, the relief of man’s burden of condemnation.
Verse 17, then, is like Philippians 2:5–11. As the only pure Man, in the ultimate spirit of gentleness (since He could simply have given us the Hell we deserved), He comes to bring peace (though sin opposes Him and makes His peace-bringing the bringing of a sword!). He willingly yielded Himself for our sake, “full of mercy and good fruits” for 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.
