I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (PART-30)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT?

HEAVENLY WISDOM
To contrast the attitudes created in hell mentioned in the previous
devotional (part-29), James gives us the traits of heavenly wisdom.
    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. (James 3:17)

James lists nine characteristics of true heavenly wisdom as follows:

1. ‘comes from heaven’
        This is in contrast to earthly wisdom which comes from Satan.
        The beginning of heavenly wisdom is having a fear of the Lord.
            The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
            all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
            To him belongs eternal praise. (Psalms 111:10)

            The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
            and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
            (Proverbs 9:10)

                We obtain this wisdom through prayer – as Solomon did.
                    So give your servant a discerning heart to govern
                    your people and to distinguish between right and
                    wrong. For who is able to govern this great people
                    of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9)

2. ‘pure’
        A person with true wisdom is not polluted by the world and
        its attitudes. He or she has a wisdom that cannot be defiled
        by the world. Look at what Jesus says about purity.
            Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
            (Matthew 5:8)

            We are told to strive to have a purity similar to the Lord’s.
                All who have this hope in him purify themselves,
                just as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)

3. ‘peace loving’
        It means to be at peace with God, and with other people.
            If it is possible, as far as it depends on you,
            live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)

        When the scriptures are explicit about having a peaceful attitude,
        we should strive to avoid everything that can cause problems or
        create controversies. There are some folks who just seem to know
        how to disrupt the lives of others, and unfortunately some of them
        claim they are believers. They allow their own selfishness to control
        their emotions, actions and words, which often causes turmoil on
        many different levels.

4. ‘considerate’
        The considerate person is one who has a gentle and caring attitude
        toward others and their feelings. He or she is not rude and inconsiderate.
        They consider the impact their words and actions will have on others.
        They carefully consider what they say and refuse to participate in gossip.

5. ‘submissive’
        This type of person is conciliatory when tensions arise, and puts God’s
        will above their own will. Rather than causing problems, they are more
        of a peacemaker. His or her spiritual wisdom creates an awareness that
        some things are just not that important – certainly not important enough
        to be arguing and fighting with others over them. They don’t feel like
        they have to have all the answers, or that their opinion is the only one
        that is right.

6. ‘full of mercy’
        A person with mercy has a forgiving attitude and is an encourager. Rather
        than discouraging others and finding fault with them, he or she finds ways
        to lift their spirits. They recognize the mercy God showed us when He chose
        not to give us the punishment we deserve. Out of appreciation of God’s mercy
        they incorporate an attitude of mercy into their own life.

7. ‘full of good fruit’
        This type of person is a worker of good deeds.
            A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
            and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:18)

        If we have a mindset that is bent toward bad deeds, then we will have little
        interest in doing good deeds. We have opportunities to do good deeds every
        day. We can encourage those around us, or just be an attentive listener to
        someone who needs to “unload their wagon”. There are also times when
        the Lord may ask us to do a good deed that involves a sacrifice of some of
        our time or money.

8. ‘impartial’
        This type of person does not show favoritism and values everyone
        the same. Some may have different moral values, but everyone is
        important. Why? Because God made us all. If God doesn’t show
        partiality, then neither should we.
            And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.
            Do not threaten them, since you know that he
            who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,
            and there is no favoritism with him. (Ephesians 6:9)

9. ‘sincere’
        A sincere person is honest and not a hypocrite. The honesty of
        believers should be noticeable in a world full of dishonesty.
        Others need to believe that we believe what we say we believe.
        They should consider us trustworthy and know that our faith is real.

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