What Does Wisdom Look Like?

Have you ever had trouble matching a name to a face? Some people have a memory that can recall the face of someone they met several years ago. Others can recall names so easily because they paint a creative image of the person and associate it with something unique in their name. A common image in people’s mind for my name was and is Ole’ McDonald’s Farm. In fact, when I joined a club in college I had to sing “Ole’ McDonald had a Farm” and come up with a new animal each day of the week as a pledge name. This was so people could learn and remember my name. Incidentally, I did grow up on a small farm.

Could you put a face to a name like “wisdom;” how about “purity?” James asked, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (3:13). James wrote about two kinds of wisdom: that which “comes down from above” and that which is “earthly, unspiritual, and demonic” (3:15). The face that is matched with earthly wisdom involves “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts” (James 3:14). James warned us that where these characteristics exist, “there will be disorder and every vile practice” (3:16). It seems like a pretty serious consequence for allowing earthly wisdom to dwell around you. James’ message is clear: if you discover bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart or the hearts of those around you, get out fast! If you remain, you will find yourself in a huge mess that may drive your soul straight to Hell.

Let us strive to match wisdom’s face to our lives. “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). When you examine the lives of those around you the most, do these qualities surface? More importantly, can you see these characteristics in your own heart? A promise is made for us, “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18). The only way we can have the hope of heaven is to be righteous. This righteousness will come when we have the blood of the lamb washing our sins by a burial in baptism and obtain the wisdom from above by asking God (James 1:5).

What Goes Up Must Come Down

A law of nature that mankind has been bound by since the beginning of time is gravity. Sure, man has gone into space and experienced weightlessness, but the rule remains that what goes up must come down. This principle can be applied to what goes into our minds as well. In other words, what goes in must come out. Jesus said something similar to this, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). If we fill our mind with things of this world, soon our actions will show our heart is not set on things above. Paul wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1-2).

As Christ followers, we must be cautious of what we allow to enter our minds. If we are constantly around negative people, they will soon rub off on us and our minds will be transformed into negative thinking. Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). Paul understood that we can be conformed to the world by the things we watch, listen to, read, participate in, and people we associate with.

When James wrote about taming the tongue, he described it as “a fire” (3:6). He even recognized, “…no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (3:8). Where does this fire get its fuel? Our speech strongly reflects the things we put into our minds. You are more likely to allow bad language to ooze into your vocabulary if you permit it into your mind. It may be a gradual progression we do not realize has happened. It may get to a point that, “With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:9-10). Do not fool yourself into thinking you can keep spending time with that foul mouth co-worker, television show/movie, music artist, comedian, etc. and be able to tame your own tongue. What goes up must come down and what goes in must come out.

Would You Kiss Your Mother With That Mouth?

When I was a boy, my brothers and I sometimes talked mean and said bad words we picked up at school. My parents let us know in a hurry that was not the way we should talk. They let us know in two specific ways that this manner of speaking was not prohibited. Sometimes, both of these methods were implemented because of a single offense if they deemed it necessary! The two means of course correction were the traditional spanking and the always classic washing the mouth out with soap. There are still debates today on which is worse! Both methods are still reminders to this day of how we ought to speak.

James knew that the tongue is a difficult beast to tame. Because of this, he warns us, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man…” (3:1-2). When we visited the Smokey Mountains, my brother-in-law, Chris, pondered as we were riding horses what it would have been like to be the first person to tame a horse. The animal is so large it could trample a person to death if it wanted to. James described by putting a bit into its mouth, a tamed horse can be rode wherever the rider so desires. He also wrote about large ships being maneuvered by a small rudder wherever the pilot desires (3:3-4). “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire” (James 3:5).

James’ point is that what we say has a huge impact on people’s perception of not just us, but Christ. To those self-righteous people who do not care what others think of them and the way they talk, James gives a whole new perspective. To become a Christian means to become a priest (1 Peter 2:9). When you become a priest, you are a teacher. Whether or not your profession is teaching, as Christians, we are teachers by default. As Christian teachers, we have to tame the tongue, the most difficult beast to break. If we do not learn to tame our tongue, our world may be “set ablaze by such a small fire.” So, would you kiss your mother with that mouth?

Finding Time For the Bible

A few months ago in the House-to-House bimonthly publication that Four Mile Hill sends out to the surrounding community, brother Allen Webster put a list of ways that we could read the Bible throughout the day. The list included:
--Put a Bible under your pillow to read each night before you go to sleep.
--Wake up ten minutes earlier each morning.
--Turn off the TV at 8:00 p.m. each night and read to your children.
--Read a few verses at mealtime when the family is together.
--Talk less to have a few more minutes to read.
--Keep a Bible in the kitchen, to read while waiting for food to cook or for water to boil, or near the phone, to read while on hold.
--Carry a Bible in your purse or pocket, to read while waiting in line for doctors or when arriving early.
--Take a Bible on trips and read on a plane or in a hotel.
“Don’t just own a Bible—read it!”

Brother Webster is certainly on to something big concerning the Christian lifestyle. How many Bibles do you have in your homes that are just dust collectors? You may even have one set-up on a pedestal in the entrance to your home open to a favorite verse and looks are its only purpose. Looks can be deceiving though. Are you neglecting the “pure spiritual milk” that Peter tells us to “long for like newborn infants?” He wrote, “…that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).

How can you long for something if you go without tasting it? In order to long for it we must consume it. Every Valentine’s Day my wife, Kayla, buys me a bag of delicious Cherry Cordial Cream Hershey Kisses. It seems the more I have the more I want. Once the bag is gone, I have withdrawals for a while and soon lose the craving and near forget about them until she surprises me with them the next year. If we go without the pure milk of the Bible, we too will soon lose the craving for it. Peter wrote, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith,” (1 Peter 5:8-9a). If we do not find time for the Bible, Satan will devour us. Where will you find time for the Bible this week?

Be a Show-Off

As a kid, whenever I received something new to me, I wanted to show it off to everyone. One of my most memorable Christmas presents was a miniature John Deer tractor with pedals on it that I could ride around. I hooked a wagon on the back of it and off I went loading up sticks, straw, dirt, pinecones, brothers’ G.I. Joes, and whatever else I could find. I was proud of that tractor and wanted everybody to see it.

James was concerned about Christians not showing off with good works the gift of salvation that had been given to them. He wrote, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (2:18). Some Christians were under the deception that faith only was sufficient for salvation. James course corrected, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (2:19-20).

James gives two examples of people who showed their faith by their works and did not even conceive that their faith alone was sufficient. The first example is when Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. Abraham believed in God and he showed that belief with an active faith through his works. “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works,” (James 2:22). The second example is Rahab. She heard of the mighty works that God did for Israel and she believed and feared (Joshua 2:8-11). Rahab was justified not simply because of her belief in God, but because of her works in helping the Jewish spies escape sure destruction by the king.

As Abraham and Rahab were justified by works, we must also have more than just faith in God. Our faith must be active producing good works which play a role in justification. If you are thankful for the gift of grace that has been offered to you through Jesus Christ, why not be a show-off? How can you show-off this gift that has given you hope in the midst of despair? Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16). Are you ashamed? Be a show-off for the gospel today.

Why Would James Contradict Paul?

“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). It cannot be much clearer of a statement for those who advocate faith alone is what saves us. Is one of these proponents the apostle Paul himself? He wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). It appears that James and Paul hold two opposing viewpoints. Should we listen to Paul and count on grace through faith alone to save us, or do we adhere to James and accompany our faith with works?

If we are to read Ephesians 2:8-9, we cannot leave out verse 10. Paul describes two different kinds of “works.” Christianity derived from Judaism where certain “works” were required in order to keep the covenant with God such as circumcision and dietary regulations. When the New Covenant was established, those old works of the law were useless to be in right standing with God. Paul also wrote, “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal. 2:16). Paul never once suggests giving up good works, only works of the law, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

When James wrote that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” he did not contradict Paul, but agreed with him. James would never contradict Paul as no writer in the Bible would contradict another because it is God’s word (2 Tim. 3:16). There is no amount of works of the law that could justify us from sin; this is where grace through faith comes in hand. We make our faith alive by the good works we do. Paul did write that we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Eph. 2:10). Have you neglected to show someone the love of Christ through your good works? If not, you may need to grab a shovel to bury your dead faith.

You Let Me Fall!

I grew up on a dirt road for most of my childhood before the county paved it. Each house in our area was required to have at least an acre of land to avoid crowding and becoming like a subdivision neighborhood. Our road dead ended into our neighbors’ driveway, so there was not much traffic down this road. We could get out and play cork ball or wiffle ball without fear of many cars. That little stretch of dirt road carries some fond memories. Sometimes, my brothers and I would have to get out and push my dad’s truck up and down the road so he could pop the clutch to get it started. Those were the good old days.

One of my favorite memories on that road was learning to ride a bike. Maybe it is one of my favorites because once you learn the skill it is yours for life. Like any beginner on a bicycle, we started of with tricycles at a very early age then moved up to the bike with training wheels. There comes a time though when the training wheels have to come off. There comes a point in everybody’s life when something that was helping you is now a hindrance to making you better. When a baby gets old and big enough, you have to remove the crib and allow him/her to sleep in a bed or else the poor thing will soon be jammed in there head to toe and sleep will be hindered. When sleep is hindered in children’s lives, growth will be stunted and you have literally retarded the natural growth process that God put in place. Keeping the training wheels of life on your child will not help, in fact, it will destroy.

As I learned to ride around on that bike and got very comfortable doing so, I wanted those training wheels to come off. When they did come off, mom or dad held on to the back of the seat and a handle bar to get me started. At some point though, they let go. I cannot remember how far down that old road they let go of my seat, but I did not realize it until it was time to turn around at the dead end. I did not know how to stop! I do remember thinking or yelling, “You let me go?!” I crashed. Oddly enough, I do not remember my parents ever having to help with the bike again. They got me to where I needed to be and had the love to let go. Thank you Mom and Dad and happy Father’s Day.

A Tribute to Mark Adams

When I saw this picture I immediately thought of Mark and the "Friday Smiles" he posts on his blog.  I hope this is worthy Mark!

Putting Degrees on Sin

Why do Christians put degrees on sin when there is absolutely no ground for this in the Bible? Maybe it is because everybody wants to think their lifestyle is okay as long as it does not get as bad as…fill in the blank. Putting degrees on sin really comes down to trying to justify the sin that is in your own life. Emerson Eggerichs, author of Love & Respect, wrote, "Self-righteousness can deceive you more than any other sin." I think that is a fair statement.

In order to “fulfill the royal law,” James wrote, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (2:8). James quoting from Leviticus 19:18 knew this was a pillar of the Jewish nation. This law that Moses gave to the Israelites was also reiterated by Jesus when asked by the rich young man, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16, 19). Also, when a Pharisee tried to test Jesus, he asked, “‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets’” (Matt. 22:36-40). If Jesus “goes all-in” with these two commandments, we had better pay some special attention to them.

When James brings up loving your neighbor as yourself, he does so in the context of showing partiality concerning sin. He wrote, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (2:10). When we put degrees on sin, we are acting as the Scribes and Pharisees acted. We are hypocrites just as they were when we point fingers at the sin in others’ lives without facing the sin that is in our own life! I am not suggesting that sinful behavior be left unhandled, but I am suggesting that putting degrees on sin by saying one sin is worse than another is wrong. We might not even realize we do it because we do not express it in words. Why then do we look down on the pregnant teenager or the homosexual? We unconsciously put degrees on sin. Stop it! Sin is sin and God hates it.

The Elevator

I subscribe to a newsletter through 48days.com.  This week's included a story that had me laughing and I thought it worthy to share with you readers:

An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and back together again. The boy asked his father, "What is this father?" The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, "Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know what it is."

While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed, an old lady hobbled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the old lady shuffled between them and into a small room.

The walls closed and the boy and his father watched small circles of light with numbers above the wall light up. They continued to watch the circles light up in the reverse direction. The walls opened up again and a beautiful 24 year old woman stepped out. The father said to his son, "Jedediah, go get your Mother."