Wisdom from above

In James 3:13-18 James is speaking about wisdom of the earth and man compared to wisdom from above.  Sadly I can identify with both. Wisdom is the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting. Wisdom that is earthly has selfish ambition and jealousy as well, it also creates disorder (I have caused plenty of disorder with my own wisdom in my lifetime).  James 3:13 says let him show his works in wisdom, this implying that wisdom isn’t just in our speech but also in our actions. How we live will show our wisdom as much as our speech.  “Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. “ (James 3:17) First its pure, then peaceable – wisdom to be pure and peaceable has to follow the truth. We know that the word of God is truth so it’s got to line up with that. We have a God of peace, so naturally wisdom from above will provide the peace we need in our decisions. When making a decision I want to have peace about it. Nothing more frustrating than deciding something and then feeling no peace about it. Wisdom from above gives us just that, peace.  

We can rely on our own strength and it will get us only so far; but when we allow God to have say in our choices and actions they become wise.

He already did it! (Pastor Ben)

Have you ever been in a place where you felt like your past were over taking who you were? I have been in this place. The past seems to dig its claws into you not allowing you to move forward, not allowing you to be free from the sin that once plagued you. There is something about the past that is determined not to be walked away from. It doesn’t want to accept the inevitable that we are always moving farther from it, making it more irrelevant with every passing minuet.

Being free from the sin that occurred in our past shouldn't be as hard as it sometimes seems. Jesus did a mighty work on the cross. One that will reverberate throughout history, shaking the sin of our past off of our backs forever. "For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." (Hebrews 9:13,14).

Hebrews 9:28 gives an implicit message that is powerful, "so Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." He's coming back not to deal with sin! The implicit message is that it's already been dealt with! How cool is that?. We don't have to be burdened with a sin from the past for the Lord has already dealt with it. It’s his and the blameless sacrifice he did shakes us free of it.

Walking in freedom is what he designed for us, and it allows for a great impact on the kingdom when my attention is not on my sin but the reaching of others for the one truth... Jesus.