Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Heavenly wisdom
James. 3. 13- 18

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Webster dictionary defines wisdom as “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment”.   In the New Testament, James defines Heavenly wisdom in a particular order –it must first be pure, then meet the remaining conditions.   Do the next three characteristics sound familiar?  They describe people who are focused on keeping peace, thinking of others before themselves, and letting others take the lead while learning from them.

Before we make important decisions in our lives and for our community, can we be sure our thoughts are pure?   Before we speak, can we be sure our speech is geared in a peaceful and considerate manner?  Are we quick to speak just to show we are in control and the smartest person in the room?  Many times being submissive is painted in a negative way as if we must assume a weaker role in relation to someone else.   James means that we should be submissive to our brothers and sisters so we can learn from them and in turn they might learn from us. In no way does taking a back seat mean our thoughts and ideas are unimportant.  Christ washing the feet of his disciples is the ultimate example of this. During this act, Christ’s authority was never in question, but instead we ultimately learned that this was just an example of Christ’s wisdom in an attempt to care and teach his disciples.

As we move forward in our Christian walk, are we displaying the characteristics of Heavenly wisdom?  Often, the secular world equates wisdom with higher education, work experience, and even social status.  The world we live in calls for us to be competitive with our colleagues and classmates if we wish to have a successful career.  If we have all these things but cannot act morally correct, how does everything add up to Christ?  Does he care about our credentials or how we walked on the Earth?

Ultimately, is our wisdom allowing us to keep the peace in our surroundings while leading others through our consideration of their needs? Is our sincerity and impartiality yielding good fruit which is evident in our families and churches? If not, then we need to reassess the wisdom with which we are living our lives.
 Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray for Heavenly wisdom that pleases you.  Grant us strength to control our behavior, thoughts and speech in a way that would be patient and considerate to everyone around us.  Help us to live a life which glorifies you in all that we do.  Amen.
Thought For the Day :  “Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of wisdom”

Sarah Jacob, Long Island M T C, NY.

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