Last night's Thursday Night Service found me preaching once again over the verses in James (as directed in the Lectionary). Last week James warned us about the consuming fire of the human tongue and the week prior he warned about divisiveness... this week he deals with two kinds of wisdom and warns us to not be wrapped up in the evil that pervades this world.
James cautions us about 'envy'... that which seeks to destroy that which it focuses its malice upon. True envy isn't a benign thing, it rather doesn't want you or anyone else to have anything which it perceives as better or more exalted than what it has... it's an evil emotion... It's sad to say all too come in the world today. We have factions within our Christian faith that have fallen victim to this curse of envy, wanting to tear down others and to destroy.
The writings of James (who I do personally believe to be Christ's younger brother) need to be reapplied to our world... we simply must stop dividing... we need to stop attacking others with unsubstantiated attacks... we need to stop trying to destroy... we need to return to the teachings of the Gospel...
Be a blessing to someone today... love them without envy, without malice, with only grace and forgiveness...
In Christ,
Roy
James 3:13-4:8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Two Kinds of Wisdom
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for[a] those who make peace.
Friendship with the World
4 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet[b] something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, “God[c] yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says,
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Footnotes:
a) James 3:18 Or by
b) James 4:2 Or you murder and you covet
c) James 4:5 Gk He
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