Who among you can say that he is wise and has been given knowledge of spiritual things? Let him prove it, then, by showing in his everyday life the good he does, and the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you have envy, bitterness, or a desire to fight in your heart, don't pretend that you are spiritual, for you are making yourself worse by becoming a liar and setting yourself against Truth.
The kind of cunning that makes a person appear spiritual when his heart harbours wrong doesn't come from God, but from corrupted human nature, the world, and the devil. For wherever there is envy and fighting, there is chaos and evil.
But the wisdom that God gives is first of all un-mixed with self-interest, and also peaceable and gentle; it makes a person approachable and easy to reason with, merciful and full of goodness, fair, and sincere. Furthermore, the person who is right with God multiplies goodness, because its seed is planted by him in the hearts of those he comes in contact with. He does this peacefully (He doesn't try to change people by fighting and arguing). Instead, it is a by-product of his work making peace with others.
(This is my own paraphrase of James 3:13-18)
2 comments:
I love this!!! I love it when there is evidence of God working in my life - the results are soooo the opposite of when I try to be holy on my own. Instead of looking good on the surface, but underneath a seething cesspool of anger and resentment - I may look unpolished and unfinished, but underneath peace and true forgiveness. I want God's way!!
Great post, Jennypo.
"The person who is right with God multiplies goodness."
This is so true.
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