James 3:17-18 (Lent Readings)
So I mis-scheduled this. Sorry if you were trying to read it this morning.
Text
KJV Below (Link to NIV)
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Comment
Yesterday, our passage focused on earthly wisdom, and the troubles that often accompany it. Today we have the contrast of “wisdom that is from above.” It reads similarly to the fruit of the spirit, and it is important to keep in mind that none of those lists of “virtues” that come from God should be taken as comprehensive. There may yet be more that such wisdom and fruit yields. The primary contrast, though, James highlights is peace here, as opposed to strife that marks earthly wisdom.
Question
What do you think it means for a peacemaker to sow in peace? Which kind of wisdom do we tend to value today (earthly wisdom of the mind only, or wisdom from above that encompasses our actions as well)?
