Tuesday, May 19, 2020

"..wisdom from above is always pure" - James 3:17-18 (TPT)


Where does wisdom come? Is it just acquired knowledge, or is it something more? 

As a young Christian, I was pursuing this question and searching the book of Proverbs for an answer. When I came across this following verse in Proverbs 9, I began to see wisdom in a new way, not as a thing to be learned or acquired, but more of as a person in which one must an encounter.

"The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship Jehovah-God. To receive the revelation of the Holy One, you must come to the one who has living-understanding." 
Proverbs 9:10 (TPT)

How can you tell when you have received God's wisdom? 

When we have an awareness of God's wisdom that comes to us, it doesn't come with bells and whistles or crashing thunder; first, it comes with an inner knowing that something is right, and then we have a sense of God's peace and stillness which surrounds us. 

Wisdom and knowledge seem to go hand in hand, for as you gain wisdom from God, you also get knowledge, you become aware that God is on His throne. He telegraphs His thoughts to us directly in two ways, either by the written word (the bible) or by speaking to us directly in ways that only the Child of God could know. 

As Jesus abides in us, we become aware of His presence and the presence of His Holy ones that surround us, a presence that is assigned to the people of God to help and assist them in doing what is right. 

There have been many who have gone before us, both human and angelic beings, who have paved the way for us to walk on a path that has been chosen for us. One could say that this verges on a pre-selected (or a pre-destined) course to walk in wisdom and knowledge of what is holy.

 "As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life's marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us." 
Hebrews 12:1 (TPT)

There is so much to consider this Hebrews 12:1 verse. 
The word "witnesses" is the Greek word "martyrs." Many in history have started this race only to be killed by others who did not know the love of God and were attempting to silence or stop God's people from reaching their ultimate goal, which was to become Christlike in their lives. The writer of Hebrews makes a specific point in Chapter 12 to mention that "we must let go of every wound," or "get rid of every arrow tip in us." The implication is that if we are carrying an arrow tip inside of us, it is a wound that weighs us down and keeps us from running our race with freedom. 

Another phrase that has unique meaning is "life's marathon race," which implies "an obstacle course." The Greek word 'agona' means agony or conflict. The assumption is this race will not be easy, but the proper path to run has been set before us. The Aramaic can be translated "the race [personally] appointed to us." God has a destiny for each one of us that we are to give ourselves entirely to complete.

Wisdom is both hearing and responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He calls us forward by speaking the truth in love that others may benefit from that very love that lives in our hearts and minds.

"Now it's time to be made new by every revelation that's been given to you. 
And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness. So discard every form of dishonesty and lying so that you will be known as one who always speaks the truth, for we all belong to one another." 
Ephesians 4:23-25 (TPT)

As it turns out, wisdom is much more than just what we say; becoming wise (wisdom) is what we become in Christ; we become the very wisdom of Jesus as we are transformed into His image.
  
 "You are God's children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy." 
1 Corinthians 1:30 (CEV)

Today's verse in James states that wisdom is "filled with love and never displays prejudice or hypocrisy in any form." True wisdom is the answer to the prejudice we face in this world, and that only comes from the indwelling Christ who sets us free from the bondage of sin and its chains, and releases a "harvest of righteousness." But it is not our righteousness; we stand in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, assuring us that He can perform even when we fall short.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called 
sons of God." 
Matthew 5:9 (NASB)

Jesus is making a statement here which often gets overlooked; He is saying the peacemakers are called the sons of God. 

The word 'sons' translated in some versions as 'children,' but that is not what it says in the Greek language. The term 'sons' is the Greek word 'huios,' which indicates a familial position as a son; we have a firm standing among God's family. This word frequently means a son that is coming of age, reaching the time in life where he is recognized as being mature enough to carry on the family name, family work, or tradition. 

James is pointing out the ones who pursue wisdom will have the peace of God resting on their lives, which will characterize their interaction with others as peacemakers. 
James also says that these wisdom seekers will not only have peace defining their lives, but they will also be considerate and teachable, more on that in a minute.

"Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves." 
Philippians 2:1-4 (CEV)

We have a high calling, much more than we realize. 
We are called by God to be vessels (or containers) for the love of Christ. Although imperfect we may be, we could say we have holes or cracks in our containers that leak out everything that Jesus puts in there, but it's okay though, for we were meant to be leakers of God's love to everyone around us. 

We were also meant to keep coming back to Jesus to have Him continually flow through our leaky containers. 
Maturity comes to us when Jesus turns up the flow, and we realize we have more people to love and need to leak more broadly. The love of God is an endless flow that can only increase as we pursue after Him and surrender to His desires.

James sums up today's verse by saying, "Good seeds of wisdom's fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace." The "Good seeds" James is referring to is what Jesus made clear by saying that there is no one good, save God; God is the source of these Good wisdom seeds. So these good seeds of wisdom's fruits are planted by God's mature sons and daughters who cherish Christ living inside of them. 

They demonstrate God's peace on a personal level, which spills out to everyone around them as they interact with others. It is this desire for closeness (or intimacy) with Jesus, which fills the heart of God's sons and daughters to be spreaders (or leakers) of this kind of peace to everyone around them.

Wisdom is the primary thing to pursue, for it is always pure, filled with peace, is considerate, and teachable. 

How does that look for us? 

On the practical side, when we have God's wisdom, we have a kind and thoughtful demeanor, which is ready to listen to others. With a teachable spirit, we can find ways to be a friend and a peacemaker so that people can be brought together in the love of Christ.

Wow! I didn't think I had so much to say about wisdom, but this is God's heart for all of us.

Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett

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