March 23, 2003
In
our studies we have seen that James has been stressing the importance of works
as the expression of true, saving faith.
In today’s passage we see the importance of the quality of these
works – are they wise or foolish? True
wisdom comes from God and only those with Godly wisdom will live a life that is
well pleasing to God.
If you are wise and understand God’s
ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour
forth. And if you don’t brag about the
good you do, then you will be truly wise! (James 3:13 NLT)
So
we see our works or good deeds are to be:
• The result
of true knowledge and true knowledge comes from God. That knowledge is the basis for wisdom and
understanding.
• Shown in
our daily life. Our day-to-day
lifestyle reflects the true character of our lives.
• Done in
humility. We are not to “toot our
own horns” about our good deeds!
Foolish works are the result of foolish wisdom.
But if you are bitterly jealous and
there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s
kind of wisdom. Such things are
earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you
will find disorder and every kind of evil.
(vv. 13-16)
Foolish wisdom is:
• characterized
by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, arrogance and lies.
• not from God
but from Satan.
• produces
disorder and every kind of evil.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven
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 good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant
seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.
(vv. 17-18)
On the contrary, wise wisdom is:
• characterized
by purity, peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, merciful, fruitful and without
hypocrisy.
• from above. It is God’s wisdom.
• produces a
harvest of goodness, sown in peace.
Do
we have a genuine faith today? How do
we know it is genuine? Is the Holy
Spirit producing good works in our lives and God’s wisdom evident? Let’s take inventory of our lives and how do
we do this, we ask? By applying II
Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves to
see if your faith is really genuine.
Test yourselves. If you cannot
tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test. I
would love to see each of our CGBC family get an A+! God bless.
Love to all,