(Had a little detour while writing this morning's Bible Study, but I am back and this week's message is important, so here it goes).Good afternoon! I have not been so happy to see a Saturday in a long time. This week has been a bear, the emotions have been absolutely all over the place but as I look back, I have gotten a tremendous amount of work accomplished. I feel my staff is all trained for LIHEAP, which starts Wednesday, and I have to be out of town for a NEUAC board meeting, so I am glad they all feel confident. We got to meet with a State Senator and a US Representative this week. I love the relationships we are forming there and hope to keep things going there. And then we apparently have an unhappy person at our office who is trying to make sure everyone knows they are unhappy and creating chaos. I always find it ironic who God puts my Bible Studies to practical use.
This week we are talking about wisdom- good and bad. We are finishing up Chapter 3 of the book of James, verses 13-18.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 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. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Let's get right to it.
Verse 13
Highlight= let them show it by their good life. Explain= So many people think a good life is plenty of money, and plenty of things. I so remember when I just got our of high school, my true mantra was, "Success to me is a big house, a big job and a credit card with a really high limit". Now, I realize success is being that person people know they can turn to for help, and hopefully comfort. I really love my house, ironically, it is the house I wanted to live in when I was in high school, and compared to the one I grew up in, it is big, lol. It is good to come home as well, but this house doesn't define my wisdom. And wow, I wish we could just live without money. It causes so many headaches, but I have also learned as long as you have enough to pay your bills, the rest is just there, I don't get added pleasure just knowing there is money in the bank. So, the second half of verse 13 says, show their good life by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. Which do you think goes farther to change the world? Pointing out everything that is going wrong, or stepping in and saying, "let me fill this gap so more things go right." Apply= As I said, we had someone unhappy this week at the office, they were so quick to point out all the things that were wrong, but was not quick in trying to help make life easier. I find that very ironic in an agency that we are supposed to be helping others. There are days I realize, even people in our own office don't really get the concept. Respond= Lord, please always let me be the one people know they can count on, the one that if someone is falling, or failing, they know I will step in and help. I saw a saying not long ago, that said, Be the kind of woman who can fix another queen's crown without telling the world it was crooked. That's who I want to be.
Verse 14-16
Highlight= Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every evil practice. Explain= I truly believe people who are selfish and just out for number 1 don't even realize how selfish they are. But disorder follows them around like the dust around The Peanut's Pigpen. And sadly, I doubt if they realize that too. Part of me doesn't want to believe there are so many people who don't care about anyone but themselves, but I know that is untrue. I will definitely say, those people aren't my favorite people to be around and I do distance myself from them. I am afraid as time goes on, if you surround yourself with people who agree with you and are selfish and evil, some day, those people are going to be selfish and evil to you as well and unless you find a way to change your ways, you will end up, first off, never getting what you really want or need and number 2, alone. Apply= Anytime someone is causing trouble, ask Why, in fact, ask it 5 times, every time you get an answer, ask why again, and see if you don't come to the fact that the person is really an unhappy person, trying to blame their unhappiness on someone else. Don't play into the "it is everyone else's fault I am so unhappy", If you can't help change their hearts, decide at what point you need to walk away so you do not become like them. Respond= Lord, I pray for the people who are have bitter envy and selfish ambition in their hearts, I really do. I want to see them change, and I would love to be a catalyst for that change. Give me the words to say to help.
Verse 17-18
Highlight= Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. Explain= verse 17 tells us that the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure, peace-loving, considerate and submissive, full of mercy and good fruit. impartial and sincere. To me, this is the heart of what I said earlier. I see this so much in politicians, Do you ever notice how much they now about their opponent. I would love to see a politician who never says anything about their opponent's weaknesses, but instead, focus on what they could bring to the table to help all of us. Apply= This person that was unhappy this week caused a lot of useless chaos this week, all thinking they were making themselves look better, when reality, they were making themselves look very foolish and truly heartless. I feel most of us in our office has had years of knowing the only thing that stays constant in our Community Action world is change, so you take it, you run with it, and if you see someone not being able to juggle everything that just got thrown at them, you step in and help, not step back and laugh when they can't get it all done. Respond= Lord, help me remember that wisdom that comes from heaven is pure, peace-loving, considerate and full of mercy. Please stop me in my tracks if I am doing something that is full of selfish ambition.
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