Wisdom and Getting Along with People

Scripture:

James 3:17-18 Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. (18) You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

Observation:

Have you ever known anyone who claimed to be wise but who acted foolishly? True wisdom can be measured by a person's character. Just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit it produces, you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act. Foolishness leads to disorder, but wisdom leads to peace and goodness. Are you tempted to escalate the conflict, pass on the gossip, or fan the fire of discord? Careful, winsome speech and wise, loving words are the seeds of peace. God loves peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).

James compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire-the tongue's wickedness has its source in hell itself. The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle and hateful words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly, and no one can stop the results once they are spoken. We dare not be careless with what we say, thinking we can apologize later, because even if we do, the scars remain. A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Before you speak, remember that words are like fire-you can neither control nor reverse the damage they can do.

Application:

God's wisdom begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It amazes me how often holiness and getting along with people are connected in the Word of God. It really does matter to God the effort I put into my relationships. I cannot be an effective witness for Christ if I am brash, rude, and overly opinionated about every topic under the sun. I have known people that live to start an argument. They feel like they are the "authority" on every subject, and they want you to know it. Those are the type folk I find myself avoiding. But if I always avoid them, then how will allow the love, light, and life of Christ to shine through me. Sometimes the Lord is teaching me lessons through these difficult people. I am striving TODAY to be gentle, reasonable, and overflowing with mercy and blessings with everyone I come in contact with.

James closes out chapter 3 by saying that "You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor."

There are times that it is indeed hard work to get along with each other. It is hard work to treat everyone with dignity and honor. However, we will never be the community of influence and faith until we desire to get along with each other more than we desire to dislike someone and to hold a grudge against them. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we must go back to loving each other in word and deed. Eternity is counting on it!

There are many who are missing out on the grace of God because too often God's children would rather fight, pout, gossip, than to get on our faces and cry out to God to change "me!" Not my neighbor, or my spouse, or my co-worker...but me. I desperately want to be more like Christ today than I was yesterday. How about you? It really does begin with how I treat the cashier at Wal-Mart, the waitress at Applebees, the clerk at Barnes and Noble. For you see, they aren't interested in my knowledge. They aren't impressed with how much I know about the "Early Church" they are wanting to see and hear whether I truly and genuinely have been changed by Christ. They have seen too many frauds, and are desperate for someone REAL.

John 13:35 This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other."

Prayer:

"Lord, too often I fail to see people the way you see them. I want to see, react to, and treat people the way you do. Forgive me for the times I have been less than loving to those you have brought into my path. I want to live by James 3:17-18. I choose to be reasonable, gentle and overflowing with mercy today. I truly want people to see Jesus in me by seeing Your love through me. With Your help, I will do better in my decisions, emotions, and choices today. I love you Lord, and thank you for Your faithfulness in forgiving me. In Jesus name! Amen."

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty