Wisdom From Above is… Full of Mercy and Good Fruits

“But wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits…” (James 3:17 NKJV)

    Let’s take time to break down “good fruits”:

    Good (in James 3:17) comes from the Greek ‘agathos’ (Strong’s #18) which means goodness to the innermost (intrinsic and inherent); good in nature, it is good whether it is seen to be so or not. It is moral goodness, virtue, and the beneficial nature of actions, people, etc. In the New Testament it often refers to the intrinsic goodness of God’s nature and His will.

    Fruits comes from the Greek ‘karpos’ (Strong’s #2590) which means the results and outcomes of actions. It is the evidence of one’s faith and character. It is the result of charity (beneficial, good conduct motivated by prayerful, good intent).

“…be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity… give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine… Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:12-13, 15-16 NKJV)

    When we are full of mercy and good fruits our faith and service to God will be evident to all, even to those who hate us, curse us, persecute us, and spitefully use us, because we will not limit our love and care to only those who are loving and caring toward us. This wisdom is the very opposite of the world’s wisdom. Read and really think on Matthew 5:43-48.

“And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:59-60 NKJV)

    We can find ourselves surrounded by unkempt ‘fields’ – people who do not care to change nor improve (or do not know how to) because they reject God and His will – whether it is face to face or through media (TV, radio, movie, or social media) their weeds and rocks can infiltrate our hearts. So we must be watchful of our hearts and work continually to keep our “soil” tilled and tender, quickly clearing any rocks and weeds we find there (Luke 8:4-8, 11-15).  We need to also keep our hearts tender enough to look with mercy (pity and compassion) on those around us who need to know the better way; who need salvation!

    When we, in devotion to God, hear His word and humbly obey it; when we run to Him for help to pull out a strongly-rooted weed, we will be preparing our hearts to develop good fruits. If we keep trusting God, endure through temptations, and remain faithful to Him and His way, we will be preparing our hearts to be full of good fruits, and our progress will be evident to all.

    We want to abound in good fruit, don’t we? We are supposed to bear good fruit (John 15:16) – it is not for demonstration purposes (Matthew 6:1-7), but it will be seen by others (Matthew 5:14-16) as we progress and behave differently than the world around us. When we live according to God’s command and instruction found in the Bible (live and walk in the Spirit) the Spirit will bear His fruit (our faithfulness to God’s instruction will become obvious in all our conduct), and it will be visible to others in the love we give, the joy we hold to, the peace we live in (with God and man), the longsuffering we endure, the kindness we show, the goodness propelling us, the faithfulness anchoring us, the gentleness in our word and action, and the self-control that keeps us from serving ourselves (Galatians 5:16-26). God is glorified when we bear much fruit – when we develop as we should (John 15:1-8, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 3:18) – bearing good fruit proves us to be disciples of Jesus (John 15:8) and it proves that we are growing in the wisdom that is from above!

    We will have endless opportunities to conduct ourselves in wise and godly ways: answering the phone and finding it’s another telemarketer, long wait times (in-person or in our vehicle), gossip/disparaging comments in the break room at work, when your neighbour does not behave in a nice way, when someone is thoughtless or rude to us, when we speak to other women (or younger women, Titus 2:3-5), when we are asked for advice by a weak-in-the-faith sister in Christ, etc. etc. etc.  We need to remember to exhibit wisdom that is from above, wisdom that is full of mercy and good fruits!     

    Let’s work at tenderizing the hard spots, pulling the weeds, and extracting the stones from our own hearts with daily determination and prayer so we can flourish for God and prove His will to be good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2) to others around us!! Let’s think on God’s mercy and His goodness, so we can imitate Him as dear children (Ephesians 5:1), and grow toward flourishing in wisdom that is from above!

You can do it! So can I!!  

Wisdom from Above is… Full of Mercy

“But wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy…” (James 3:17 NKJV)

    The mercy in this passage is a mercy shown toward others, to show yourself merciful. It also holds within it a desire to relieve those who are sorrowful and afflicted by showing kindness and goodwill to them.

    Jesus exemplified this mercy several times (ex: Matthew 9:35-36, Matthew 14:14, and Matthew 15:29-32). We learn from His teaching that it proper to develop a heart of lovingkindness toward our fellow man. Consider Matthew 5:44, for instance, as well as Luke 10:25-37. We are to be kind and merciful “neighbours” to everyone we meet.

"So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:36-37 NKJV)

    When we consider the mercy that God has shown toward us on a daily basis – granting us another day to learn and do more to honour and glorify Him, granting us access to His throne of grace through prayer, forgiving our sins as we repent of them, loading us with benefits and blessings (Psalm 68:19); He provides our needs (Matthew 6:30-34), comforts us, strengthens us, He gives us His peace that guards our hearts and minds through Jesus, and hope – when we consider all of that, we should be humbled and overflowing with appreciation. It should also develop a true willingness within our hearts and minds to extend mercy to others.

    Take time to read and think on Matthew 18:21-35. Are you holding grudges or withholding kindness? Are you willing to receive mercy but unwilling to extend it toward others in need of it? Are you enjoying the benefits of God but not sharing them with others? Please read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and 9:7-8. Our heavenly Father always gives us enough to share; we will always have a ready supply to show mercy to others!

    Those who are growing in the wisdom that is from above will also be humbling their heart to be a servant to both God and their fellow man. They will awake to each new day and count their blessings, keeping stock of all that God has granted them in His merciful love and care, and with that knowledge they will reflect His light in to the world through their good works, thoughtful concern, and gentle kindnesses (Galatians 6:9-10, Titus 3:8, 14). They will be forgiving because God is forgiving (Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15); they will be full of mercy because God, our Creator, is full of mercy.

    Share your food (Isaiah 58:7-9, Luke 14:12-14), your house (Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:7-10), your clothes (Matthew 5:42), your wealth (1 Timothy 6:17-19, 2 Corinthians 9:7-8), and your time (Titus 2:3-5); share the good news of salvation with those who need it (1 Peter 3:15, Mark 16:15-16). Share the mercy that God has shown you, be forgiving and ready to heals hurts and wounds. Begin by understanding how blessed you are – how merciful God has been – and then extend that to others! Make it a daily determination so that you can grow and flourish in the wisdom that is from above. Are you ready to fill yourself up with mercy and show yourself merciful?

You can do it! So can I!!

Wisdom From Above is… Willing to Yield

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield…” (James 3:17 NKJV)

    Willing to yield means to be ready to obey, willing to yield your former thoughts and beliefs for the truth that is set before you. Willing to yield your pride, your notions; your own self (Romans 12:1-2), to obey the true and proper way.

    In using wisdom from above you will be able to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14); you will abhor what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).

Examples of people who were willing to yield:

Jesus (Matthew 26:39, 42, Mark 14:36, 39, Luke 22:42) “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Your will be done.” (Luke 22:42) “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4)

3000+ men and women (Acts 2) “Now when they heard this, they were cut to their heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized for the remission of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. …Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day three thousand souls were added to them. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (37-38, 41, 47b)

Saul of Tarsus/Paul (Acts 9:1-22, 22:4-21, 26:4-20) Saul lived as a Pharisee (the strictest sect of the Jewish religion, Acts 26:3-5) and thought that he must do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 26:9), including shutting up many of the saints in prison (being given authority to do so by the chief priests), casting his vote against them when their very lives hung in the balance; he punished them and forced them to deny Jesus, and even tracked them down in foreign cities to persecute them (Acts 26:10-11). While Saul was in pursuit of Christians in Damascus, Jesus appeared to Saul and spoke to Him, and he “was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) – he was willing to yield – and went to Damascus, waited for Ananias to come and put his hands on him (Acts 9:11-12, 17-18), and when that happened “he arose and was baptized” (Acts 9:18).  

Philippian Jailor (Acts 16:25-34) A Roman “keeper of the prison” seeing the situation he awoke to, heard Paul’s words when he called to him through the darkness from the inner prison: “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Realizing that there must be something more, something different about Paul and Silas, he asked for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before them, then he brought them out of the inner prison and asked them, “Sirs, what I do to be saved?” They “spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.” The Philippian jailor, a Roman citizen and employee of the state, was willing to yield and ready to obey the word of the Lord, and being fully convinced, that same hour of the night, he did works befitting repentance when he “washed their stripes,” (v33, Acts 26:20) and immediately he and all his family were baptized. And “[the jailor] rejoiced having believed in God with all his household.” (v34).

Apollos (Acts 18:24-28) Apollos was “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures” He had been taught the way of the Lord, and spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, but he knew only the baptism of John (John had prepared the people for Jesus, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, Luke 3:1-6).  When Aquila and Priscilla heard him speak boldly in the synagogue, “they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately.”  Apollos was willing to yield to this more accurate knowledge and being fully convinced of it, he continued on to Achaia and “greatly helped those who had believed through grace (the Gentiles); for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly; showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”

Eunuch from Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-39), Cornelius (Acts 10), Lydia (Acts 16:11-15, 40), you, and me We all heard the same gospel message, and we all reached a point of understanding and conviction that we – in wisdom – were willing to yield. We were willing to submit to God and His way, and from that day forward we have pursued His righteousness (Matthew 6:33, 2 Timothy 2:22), and worked to remove bad habits, thoughts, and conduct, and replace them with good works (Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:1, 8, 14), good thoughts (Philippians 4:8), and good conduct (1 Timothy 2:1-4, 4:12-13, Romans 12:1-2, 9-21, 1 Peter 3:1-4).

Examples of those who were not willing to yield:

Jesus’ own countrymen (Matthew 13:53-58) “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? ...so they were offended at Him.”

Young man with great possessions (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22) “But when he heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

Those who listened to Stephen’s sermon (Acts 6:8-7:60) “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth… and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”

Felix, the Governor (Acts 24:22-25) “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” (he never did)

    This is an area where we can clearly assess whether someone’s wisdom is earthly or if it is from above – when we observe their willingness to yield to God and His way:  Do they say they love God but hold to their own thoughts and notions, like those described in Romans 10:2-3? Do they, by their words and example, help you draw nearer to God and encourage you toward better service? Do they seek out and share man’s advice more than God’s instruction? Do they ignore or disregard certain commands and instructions because they don’t want to give up parts of their conduct/lifestyle?

    We can ascertain where our wisdom is sourced by asking ourselves these same questions: Do I hold to my own notions and expect God to be pleased? Do I, through my words and example, help others draw nearer to God and encourage them toward better service? Do I seek out and share man’s advice more than God’s instruction? Do I ignore or disregard certain commands and instructions in the Bible because I don’t want to give up parts of my conduct/lifestyle?

    You were willing to yield when you heard the gospel message and responded to it. You were willing to yield when you submitted to baptism for the remission of your sins and rose to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Every time you choose God over self you are showing yourself wise in your willingness to yield, in your willingness to present your body a living sacrifice, in your willingness to choose holiness and acceptability to God over selfish, carnal desires, and in your willingness to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2)! Keep going, keep growing; keep flourishing in wisdom from above by learning and obeying God’s word and by continuing to prove to yourself – and to others around you – that all of God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect!

You can do it! So can I!!     

   

Wisdom From Above is… Gentle

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle…” (James 3:17 NKJV)

gentle (Strong’s #G1933) ‘epieikes’ means appropriate, mild, patient, moderation

    This exact word is found in three places in the New Testament: James 3:17 (our main passage of study), Titus 3:1-2, and 1 Peter 2:18 (see below).

“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” (Titus 3:1-2 NKJV)

“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also the harsh.” (1 Peter 2:18 NKJV)

    Another form of this word was used by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian brethren: “Now, I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ – who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.” (2 Corinthians 10:1) Here it is ‘epieikeia’ (Strong’s #G1932) which means suitableness, fairness/impartiality, mildness, mercifulness.

    This sort of gentleness is clearly seen in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” God, who is all wise (‘omniscient’), does not belittle or rebuke those who lack wisdom when they ask Him for it; He happily and generously provides it so that they can develop and flourish in it. Read and consider Hebrews 4:16 as well.

    Those who cling to earthly wisdom want to be the smartest in the room. They will seek out the one they deem weakest (in intelligence) when they want a small ego boost, and they will openly target the one considered the smartest amongst the group when they desire a battle for the title. They will criticize, mock, and humiliate to gain advantage, spouting worldly arguments and well-practised conundrums so as to stump and cause hesitation in the other, leaving opportunity for further mocking and ridicule.  

    But those with wisdom from above will assess a situation and respond to it appropriately. When they discover another’s lower level of knowledge and understanding, they will help to raise that level with kindness and patience, with mildness and moderation; taking the time needed, step-by-step, to guide them (think on Ephesians 4:29). And when they find someone with better understanding than themselves they will humbly listen and discern (Hebrews 5:14); which is the very thing we will study next week, if the Lord wills.  

    Simply put, earthly wisdom pushes down others to lift up self, but wisdom that is from above puts self aside to lift up others.

    Take a careful look at how you share your wisdom: Do you get a jolt of satisfaction when you can ‘tsk’ or cluck your tongue at someone’s ignorance, and openly correct them in a patronizing way? Or do you find fulfillment in being able to quietly and gently help another along, taking whatever time and study is needed to help them gain more understanding?

    Think of God’s patience and gentleness with you. There are no lightning bolts hitting you whenever you blunder or fall short; God is gentle – “the Father of mercies” (2 Corinthians 1:3) – and He is patient and “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish…” (2 Peter 3:9). When God shares His wisdom with us liberally and without reproach, let us appreciate that enough to do the same for others!

You can do it! So can I!!