13If 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! 14But 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. 15For jealousy and selfishness are not God¡¦s kind of wisdom.
Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. 16For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. 17But 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. 18And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness. (New Living Translation)
Ambivalent ¡V how else can you feel about today¡¦s world? It is truly, the best of times; the worst of times. We live in an age of unparalleled prosperity, healthcare advances, and technology that keeps making you say, WOW!
And these are troubling times, despite all the good news. Among the more troubling, disturbing realities:
„Ñ Columbine High School ¡V and the dozens of copycat school shootings. The violence escalates.
„Ñ The alarming divorce rate. The gap widens.
„Ñ Incredible abuse of children. I thought the newscasts couldn¡¦t shock me anymore. Then I saw the coverage of the mother who allegedly drowned her five children.
It is difficult to overstate the need for personal peace in a world like ours. One wag said it this way:
If you want peace, confess your sins;
If you want war, confess someone else¡¦s.
Sometimes it seems as if peace in this lifetime is only a mirage.
There are those who would suggest different ways of dealing with the lack of personal peace;
„Ñ Drop out ¡V find an island somewhere so people can¡¦t hurt you.
„Ñ Drug up ¡V drink, snort, or pill-pop until you can¡¦t see the disturbances.
„Ñ Do first ¡V is the flip side of the ¡§Golden Rule¡¨ (Do unto others before they can do you any harm ¡V get those suckers!)
James says that kind of thinking is devilish, animal-like thinking. It is unwise at least, conniving at worst. To seek any kind of peace, absent of the wise and right choices guided from above, is only going to achieve an illusion.
Isaiah is an Old Testament counterpart of James suggests the way to real peace:
3You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
whose thoughts are fixed on you! 4Trust in the LORD always,for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.
Well, Old Testament Isaiah, and New Testament James agree on the two principal ingredients of genuine, lasting, personal peace ¡V Let Go; Let God!
Let Go
James warns against holding on to the arch-enemy of peace ¡V bitterness. Bitterness is the one thing that is less held-onto, than holds-on-to-you, when you allow it to hang around. One minister put it this way, Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
(Ron McManus, PreachingToday.com)
Bitterness grows out of envy, or personal ambition, or personal hurt. It is that which will fester and kill any personal relationships.
A rabid dog bit a man. He went to the doctor and the doctor told him it was too late. He needed to prepare to meet his Maker. The doc went out of the room for a few moments, then returned to see the man writing on a long legal pad. I can help you find a lawyer if you need to make a will, said the doctor. Will? replied the man, I¡¦m making a list of the people I¡¦m gonna bite!
That¡¦s the thinking James said was devilish, or worldly. There¡¦s a lot of that today.
Some time ago I went through a TV guide and counted up how many daytime talk shows there were. You know what I am talking about, Oprah, Donahue, Sally Jesse Raphael, et al. I counted 23 separate such programs. That is one huge pile of worldly wisdom. But guess what? A lot of people (even Christians) subject themselves to a regular dosage of that garbage.
Another example. The World Wide Conference on Women in Beijing. Worldly wisdom poured forth. They told us there were now 5 genders, and that lesbianism might be the answer to many of the world¡¦s problems. "Okay," you might say, "It is obvious to see worldly wisdom in that." Yet so many believe and follow it. "Oh, but I don¡¦t" you say. "No. I know the difference."
For almost 30 years, psychiatrists and child psychologists have been in the foreground telling us how we should raise children. Many of their ideas have become immensely popular and the subject of countless best-seller books even among Christians. But yet, look around you at the children of America. Things have only gotten worse, and seem to be going down hill daily at an alarming rate. Worldly wisdom, but very attractive.
Consider the world of politics. We were told 30 years ago or so that the government would be the answer to poverty and all the social problems of our country. The Great Society. But here we are, 30 years later, after spending 3 trillion dollars on the problems, and what has all of that worldly political advice gotten us? Things are no better today than they were 30 years ago. In fact, things are probably much worse. But many believed it then, and many still believe it today.
Consider the New Age movement of today. That worldly wisdom tells people they can achieve happiness because they are God themselves. Fate is in their hands. Their will is supreme. They possess all the power, it just needs to be channeled by power crystals or by sitting next to a red rock in Sedona. We will have peace on earth if we just all get in touch with our inner deity. Yeah, that has really gone a long way, hasn¡¦t it? (in a sermon...SermonCentral.com)
Most believers would agree that letting go of bitterness is good. The question really is, HOW? How in the world do we let go of something that holds onto us like the plague? Listen to the promises in these two verses, and see if it makes sense¡K Matthew 6:33John 14:25 (TMNT)
Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don¡¦t worry about missing out. You¡¦ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met¡K.I¡¦m leaving you well and whole. That¡¦s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don¡¦t leave you the way you¡¦re used to being left¡Xfeeling abandoned, bereft. So don¡¦t be upset. Don¡¦t be distraught.
You let go by letting God ¡V IN! You surrender. And look what happens when you¡KLet God
You Receive Wisdom
According to James (1.5) when you let go of the world¡¦s ways, and ask God for His way, the wisdom to make good choices in your life begin to come your way.
Wisdom is a highly debatable thing. Just ask Yogi Berra, former Major League baseball star and part-time metaphysicst:
„Ñ First, never give up, because it ain¡¦t over ¡¦til it¡¦s over.
„Ñ Second, when you come to a fork in the road, take it.
„Ñ Third, don¡¦t always follow the crowd. Nobody goes there anymore. It¡¦s too crowded.
„Ñ Fourth, stay alert. You can observe a lot just by watching.
„Ñ Fifth, and last, remember that whatever you do in your life, 90 percent of it is half mental.
---Parade 2/12/96, quoted in Leadership, Vol.17, no.3
That Wisdom is Seed
7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
The seed which God plants within us when we Let Go changes us. Note what begins to grow in us according to James 3.17
Real 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. (NLT)
Now, remember, these things are like seeds, placed within you by God, when you let go of trying to control your own life, and let God have His way. You don¡¦t do these things to become a peaceful person¡Kyou let God make these things happen in you.
There are a lot of things we could say about James¡¦ statement, and would benefit to study each of the words he used. However, to summarize those words, let¡¦s just say that when God plants seeds of His own in you, because you open up the ground of your life to Him, that which develops is a person who has taken his stand publicly for Christ.
God teaches him to be a person of mercy and convictions; God teaches him to be a person of integrity, convinced in the faith, living a life of loving the Lord¡Kboth publicly and privately.
That sounds like quite a crop, doesn¡¦t it? Yet, that is only the showy tassel above the corn. The real kernel ¡V the real fruit of what grows from God¡¦s seeds placed in your life, is what¡¦s underneath all that¡Kpeace!
The Wisdom Seed Produces a Crop of Peace
18And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.
Peace comes in an atmosphere of the Kingdom life, filled with wisdom. When you
ƒ³ chase it,
ƒ³ demand it,
ƒ³ try to imitate it
¡Kit will slip through your fingers like a greased pig.
When you go about seeking the kingdom of God, He plants seeds of peace in your life. The crop that follows is that condition of peace
ƒ³ in you,
ƒ³ around you, and
ƒ³ in others about you,
¡K¡K¡K..that is a blessing to God, your family, your community, and it passes all understanding in you!
That¡¦s worth letting-go, so you can let-God.
