Gentleness Is Born from Wisdom
James 3:13-4:3
James continues to address practical concerns of the the congregations mostly along the Mediterranean Sea to which he writes. The concerns he addresses are just as important today as they were in the first century. In this passage, James takes up the wisdom of the world and the wisdom from above, which is the wisdom of God.
Our culture is built on active envy and ambition. We see these manifested in our desire for more things: houses, cars, clothes, toys and more. We teach our children that such a way of living is typical and the way in which the world works. So we in effect teach them that this understanding of the world is the wisdom they should live by if they want to be happy and successful in life. James’ context may not have been identical to our own but it certainly has parallels. He says this wisdom of the world is self-absorbed and destructive, as well as full of envy and boasting. Such wisdom is problematic because it causes conflict among people by setting people up against one another.
James encourages us instead to embrace the wisdom from above. This wisdom from God he describes as pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. Again, James reminds us that our journey in life needs to be aligned with that of God. Then we will have the wisdom from above.
Reflection Questions
If you think about the places of discord and conflict in your life, are those places in which you feel you have been slighted or deprived somehow? Are those places in which you feel vulnerable to another person?
Where are the places in your life in which it is easier to experience or recognize God’s grace and mercy? Would you say that in those places you have allowed yourself to be vulnerable to God?
Is there a place that you would like to be more vulnerable, to draw nearer to God so that you might know God’s presence more fully in your life?