Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
I had posted a blog this morning about James 1:1 and 2 concerning "masters" and "offending", but then reread the rest of the chapter and thought better of it and pulled the thing. It was my carnal desire to blast and condemn pharisaical, narrow, inbred legalists using the very words of Jesus in His 7-fold condemnation of them in Matthew 23.
Having read today's verses, I had to retract those harsh words and I realized that I was sinking to the level of the hateful pied-pipers of the church world.
In comes down to this, it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Mat 18:7
Therefore, I will resolve to pray for my enemies. I pray that they will not continue to inflict others. I pray that they will surrender to the mission field, perhaps Saudi Arabia.
Indeed, I glory not. I glory not that they misrepresent the gospel. I glory not that under their tongues is the poison of asps.
And so, I revert from earthly, sensual and devilish wisdom back to wisdom, pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Thanks for bearing with me a little while in my folly. II Cor 11:1
No comments:
Post a Comment