James 3
Scripture: Verse 17
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 good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
Observation
Basically the theme of this whole chapter is how evil, even in small amounts, causes tons of devastation. (The tongue, though so small, has the ability to destroy so quickly. Jealousy and selfish ambition ruin good deeds, by bringing disorder.)But, the silver lining is that when we get Godly wisdom, it comes with purity, peace and humility. These combat that little bit of evil from ruining our lives, so it is vital that we search constantly for wisdom from above.
Application
Probably about a year ago, I would try and do a lot of good things for God, but they would turn out far from what I expected them to be, or I would ruin some relationships in the process, because under stress, I would say things that I shouldn’t have. I wondered why my good motives weren’t always leading to good fruit, and now I realize that it’s because I probably had some selfish ambition behind the things I was doing, and also because I did not have control over my tongue and I did wind up doing some damage. (I am grateful that the people I hurt now have forgiven me and we are good friends again, because I did not deserve their mercy!) This past year of launching Catalyst Church has definitely been a huge learning experience spiritually, and probably the biggest thing God has taught me is humility! I realized that I was a very proud person, because I always thought I couldn’t trust anybody to get things done and I would do it all by myself. When I figured out that I was not the best person for every job, that’s when things started changing for me, and that’s when I saw a lot of great fruit coming from my efforts! I also opened myself up to instruction from others, which is something I previously discarded. I read through Proverbs this summer, and all over that book, God advised me to willingly accept instruction from people. Once I started doing that, everything just got so much better! Humility is something I value so heavily now, because I can see the huge difference it has made in every aspect of my life. It is clearly a product of Godly wisdom, and that is why I value my time with the Lord so much! Without it I am so lost!
Prayer
Lord, thank You that You want to meet with me all the time. Thank You that I can take refuge and rest in Your Word and Your promises at the end of each day, and that You are growing me always into a more Godly woman. Thank You for all the spiritual growth You’ve let me experience over the last year. I pray that I would continue to grow more humble, and that I would crave purity and peace even more. I love that our walk together is always moving to the next level; that is something I pray never ceases! Please remind me constantly how important it is to be in Your Word and walking with You every day.
