Wisdom
James 3:13-18(TMSG)
13Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.
14Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom.
15It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving.
16Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.
17Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced.
18You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
We all are looking to gain wisdom. How many of us look at wisdom as a piece of paper hanging on the wall, or how many books we've read, or how many seminars we have attended. James says to get along with others is real wisdom, God's wisdom. That some times is hard pill to swallow, I've heard it said that that working with people, your hardest commodity is "people". Why is that? We all have grown up in different homes with different circumstances all trying to accomplish the same goal. "To have people like us!" In the world we live in now, with mobile phone's, Internet, ability to travel great distance's quickly or even move rather simply. People moving and living around the world, with different belief system and cultures, living next door to people we don't even know, let alone were they are from. With texting, Skype or Face Time, Facebook, Twitter, Google, blogs etc.... We still haven't gotten much better at communicating or getting along with each other. Yet James says the way to get real wisdom, God's wisdom is to get along with each other! Do you want/need wisdom begin to look around at the people you interact with daily, are you at peace with them? Even in our own homes at times we need to ask are we walking in wisdom. The end of chapter 3 says to have a robust community we need to walk in dignity and honor towards others. We can change the world by starting to get along with people, especially with those God brings into your life. Start by being a friend to the unfriendly and see your world change
Be a blessing , Sir Gregory
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