Jean Crist, of Niagara Falls, New York, talks about a man in her town named Neal. He is a kind and loveable character that many consider to be quite simple minded. So, time after time, people in her town come up to him and offer him his choice of a dime or a nickel. He always takes the larger coin.
Finally, a bystander could bear this mockery no longer. He went up to Neal and said, “Don't let these people fool you any longer. The nickel may be larger, but the dime is worth twice as much money.”
“I know that,” Neal whispered to him, “but if I start taking the dimes, they'll stop offering me money!” (Jean Crist, Niagara Falls, NY, Christian Reader, “Lite Fare”; www.PreachingToday.com)
That simple-minded man turned out to be quite wise after all.
In difficult times, what you need most of all is wisdom from above, but How does that wisdom behave? How does it act? How does it operate in the midst of trial? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to James 3, James 3, where the Bible shows us how true wisdom acts in tough times.
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. (ESV)
Remember, James is speaking to those who want to be teachers (vs.1), and he tells them your words do not demonstrate real wisdom; your works do. It’s like the old saying, “More is caught than taught.” In other words, what you DO speaks much louder than what you SAY. So, if you want to demonstrate true wisdom in times of trial…
BEHAVE YOURSELF.
Show how wise you are not by your good WORDS, but by your good WORKS. Prove your wisdom through humble acts of service.
Most computer word processers use a typeface called Times New Roman. It's so common that we take it for granted, but this super-typeface has an interesting back story.
It all began with a complaint. In the 1920s, the esteemed type designer Stanley Morison criticized London's newspaper The Times for being out-of-touch with modern typographical trends. So The Times asked him to create something better. Morison took up the challenge. He enlisted the help of expert draftsman Victor Lardent and began conceptualizing a new typeface with two goals in mind: efficiency and readability. Morison wanted any printing in his typeface to be economical, a necessity in the newspaper business.
In 1926, The Times tested an early version of Morison's new type. After test upon test and proof upon proof, the final design was approved, and “The Times New Roman” typeface was born. In 1932, The Times specifically noted that their new typeface was not intended for books. But at 85 years old, Times New Roman is still going strong. (Meredith Mann, “Where Did Times New Roman Come From?” The New York Public Library, 12-9-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
Morrison went beyond criticism to a constructive solution, and that’s what truly wise people do. They demonstrate their wisdom through their works. You see, it’s easy to criticize the wrong in times of trial, but the truly wise person does the right; the truly wise person is part of the solution. So if you want to demonstrate true wisdom, just behave yourself, and…
DON’T BOAST
Don’t brag about how smart you are. Don’t promote yourself to the detriment of others.
James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. (ESV)
Your boast is a lie if all you want to do is promote yourself.
The Greeks used the word for “selfish ambition” in Bible days to describe politicians, who sought only to promote themselves. They campaigned for political office not because they were interested in serving people, but only because they wanted the prestige and power of that office.
It seems that some things never change. Now, nearly 2,000 years later, many politicians still behave in the same way. They boast of many things. They make great promises, but all too often they fail to follow through on those promises. They’ll say anything to get elected, but their behavior in office often tells a different story.
Don’t be like those politicians. Don’t make promises you cannot keep. Don’t boast of great things only to disappoint those who believed in you.
James 3:15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. (ESV)
When you use your skills to promote yourself, you demonstrate a wisdom that comes from the world, the flesh and the devil. Such wisdom is NOT from heaven, but comes from hell and is very destructive.
James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. (ESV)
Pride goes before a fall every single time!
I like the old story of the frog who wanted to go south with the geese for the winter. It was getting cold, so when a couple of geese stopped by to say “goodbye”, the frog begged to go with them.
“But you can’t fly,” they said.
“That’s okay,” responded the frog. “I’ve thought of a way to go with you.” Then he picked up a stick and told the geese to grab each end. When they did, the frog grabbed the stick in the middle with his mouth, and they all took off!
Everything went well until they saw a farmer in a field below. The farmer looked up in the sky and shouted, “Look at that! That's amazing! I wonder who thought of that?”
That’s when the frog, wanting to get all the credit, opened his mouth to say, “I did!”, and fell to his death. (Mongolian Folktale)
Nothing good comes from selfish ambition and pride.
That was clearly evident on January 28, 1986, when NASA planned to launch the space shuttle Challenger from the Kennedy Space Center. The mission included a schoolteacher named Christa McAuliffe. The launch had already been delayed a few times. On the night before the new launch date, NASA held a long conference call with engineers from Morton-Thiokol, the contractor that built the Challenger's solid-rocket motors. Allan McDonald was one of the Thiokol engineers.
On the day of the launch it was unusually cold in Florida, which concerned McDonald because he feared that his company's O-ring seals in the Challenger's big joints wouldn't operate properly at that temperature. Since the boosters had never been tested below 53 degrees, McDonald recommended the launch be postponed again.
But NASA officials overruled McDonald and requested that the “responsible Morton-Thiokol official” sign off on the decision to launch. McDonald refused to sign the request, but his boss did. The next morning McDonald – and millions of people around the globe – watched as a mere 73 seconds into the flight, the shuttle burst into flames.
After the accident, a review showed the cause of the explosion to be what McDonald had feared: the O-rings failed to hold their seal in the cold temperature. Why then did NASA go ahead with the launch? Allen McDonald claims that NASA fell prey to the oldest and most basic sin – pride. McDonald said:
NASA [had become] too successful. They had gotten by for a quarter of a century and had never lost a single person going into space… They had rescued the Apollo 13 [crew] halfway to the moon when part of the vehicle blew up. Seemed like it was an impossible task, but they did it. So how could this cold O-ring cause a problem when they had done so much over the past years to be successful? [All of that success] gives you a little bit of arrogance you shouldn't have… (Freaknomics blog, “Failure Is Your Friend: Full Transcript”, 6-4-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
It was an arrogance which ended in disaster! The NASA officials thought they knew better than the lowly engineers beneath them. They thought they were wise, but their so-called “wisdom”, born out of selfish ambition and pride, killed people and crippled the space program for years.
So it is when you and I boast of our “wisdom.” When you think you know it all and ignore the advice of those around you, you wreak havoc on those around you. Your family suffers, your co-workers, your church, and anybody else who gets in your way. So don’t boast. Just…
BEHAVE WITH GENUINE HUMILITY.
Serve with a genuine desire to help without promoting yourself. Put others before yourself even in times of pain.
Verse 13, the main idea of this passage, talks about “the meekness of wisdom.” The Greek word for meekness speaks of a person who doesn’t assert himself. He doesn’t promote himself. He is not self-seeking. The Greeks actually used the word in a negative way to describe slaves who groveled in the dirt.
James uses it in a positive way to describe the truly wise person, who has a servant’s attitude. He puts the needs of others before himself, and he serves them without the need for recognition. Well, James unpacks that idea in verse 17. Take a look at it.
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (ESV)
The wisdom that comes from God is morally pure. It’s peace-loving, resolving conflict, not picking fights. It’s gentle or considerate of others. It’s open to reason, or better, it’s willing to be persuaded. People who have God’s wisdom are teachable. They’re open to input from others. Furthermore, God’s wisdom is full of mercy, demonstrating kindness to the poor and needy. It’s impartial, literally undivided, not behaving one way on Sunday and another way during the week. And finally, God’s wisdom is sincere, literally, it is not a play-actor. People who have God’s wisdom don’t wear masks. They don’t put on a show just to look good. In a word, people with God’s wisdom act with genuine humility. They are meek, not self-seeking. They just serve others without the need for recognition.
My grandfather was that kind of a man, a truly wise man not by this world’s standards, but demonstrating a wisdom that came from above. When he was a young boy, a horse kicked him in the head, which arrested his mental development. He ended up with a third-grade mentality and never finished school.
Instead, he became a line-o-type operator for the York Daily Gazette, a local newspaper, setting type letter-by-letter on an old type setting machine. He did that for most of his adult life until computers made his job obsolete. In his later years, he came down with prostate cancer, but he never complained.
Many people, when they go through tough times, become bitter and demanding. Not my “papaw”, as I called him. He found ways to serve those around him, more concerned about their happiness than his own.
He was always giving things away. When Sandy and I traveled to Pennsylvania to visit him, he would always give us a bag of York Peppermint Patties and/or a bag of coins. It was his way of supporting us in the ministry. As he walked around town, he would check all the vending machines and pay phones for coins. He also picked up the coins he saw lying on the sidewalk, all of which he would put in a bag and keep for us when we came to visit. At his funeral 20 years ago (1997), many people told similar stories of his generosity.
He also loved to laugh, finding joy even in tough times. I remember when Grandma would serve us a big meal at our family gatherings. He sat down at the table and often said, “This is terrible… terrible good!”
Even on the night before he died, he refused to complain about his pain. Grandma came into the room and asked if he had any pain. He said, “Yes, down there.”
She said, “Where?”
He said, “Down there.”
“Where?” she asked.
To which he replied, “Down there across the room. See the window. There’s my pain – the window pane.”
In his last few years, when Grandma had to do a lot to take care of him, he kept telling her, “Thank you; I love you.” He was an unpretentious man, never demanding, always looking for ways to bring joy into someone else’s life.
I see that same spirit in Sandy, my wife, as she navigates her way through her disability. I don’t know how many times she has expressed gratitude to me and to others who have served her. She is not demanding. She is not self-seeking, as many are when they’re in pain. Instead, she puts others before herself, and that brings joy to those who know and love her. She has God’s wisdom, and people with God’s wisdom behave with genuine humility.
As a result, things are made right and there is peace.
James 3:18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (ESV)
Humble people reap a harvest of righteousness and peace.
Just a few years ago, NPR ran a moving story about a father and son that aired on the hit radio show “This American Life.” The episode titled “Know When to Fold 'Em” focused on David Dickerson's return to the Christian household he had not visited since he left for college. After ten years, as a hostile 28-year-old, Dickerson wanted to undermine his father's so-called “repressive” faith. On the show David says,
I had all this ammunition, and I couldn't wait to use it… And I remember thinking, this is a showdown because my dad and I were at war. My dad didn't know this, but I was at war with him. I was at war with all Christians, and I was just waiting for an excuse to have a shot.
So when his father innocently mentioned some mission work he'd been praying about, David unleashed his fury:
I just rambled on… And I knew, essentially, while I was doing this, I was also assaulting his dream… saying everything he was excited about, that he was sharing with me, was misbegotten, was a bad idea, was morally corrupt… And he just kind of quietly let me do my thing.
David's father let him expend every round of ammunition without arguing or retreating. He simply looked at David and said, “David, I'm really proud of everything you've done.” David concluded the show by saying,
I remember looking at my dad, and I thought – I had sort of expected to argue… You know, not to win, but to come to some kind of armistice. You know, some kind of truce… I hadn't expected to lose completely, because you can't argue with decency. You can't argue with goodness. (Ethan Richardson, This American Gospel, Mockingbird, 2012, pp. 63-71; www.PreachingToday.com)
David’s dad demonstrated the wisdom that comes from above, a wisdom more powerful than any argument, than any arrogance, than any anger.
Do you want that kind of wisdom? You won’t find it in yourself. You won’t find it anywhere in the world, no! That kind of wisdom comes only from God, and he has offered to give it to you “generously” and “without reproach.”
Remember what James said in chapter 1? If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5).
If you want the kind of wisdom that brings peace and makes everything right, all you have to do is swallow your pride and ask. Get on your knees before God and depend on Him to give it to you. Don’t boast; just behave with genuine humility. And start with prayer. In fact, why don’t you make our closing song YOUR prayer today:
Make me a servant, humble and meek;
Lord, let me lift up those who are weak;
And may the prayer of my heart always be:
Make me a servant, make me a servant,
Make me a servant today. (Kelly Willard)
