Your Reflects Reveal Your Wisdom

From: Sept. 25, - October 1, 2012

Mega Zoe Christian Church Pastor: Edith Cruz

TOPIC: "Your Reflects Reveal Your Wisdom" James 3:13-18

A person who is wise manifests the life of Christ that is the life where the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance are evident. If these fruits are within us there is no law against them, because for these virtues there is no law. These virtues are pleasant to God, they are obtained when we have communion with the Lord. While contemplating the Savior in fond devotion and obeying in our daily life, the Holy Spirit works a wonderful miracle: he transforms us at the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit transforms us at His resemblance while contemplating Him. (2 Corinthians 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit"). Let us describe a man with ungodly wisdom. It is one who reacts following the principles

of this world. His behavior does not show any evidence of a divine life in his interior. If one is wise and understanding he/she will demonstrate it through his/her good conduct together with the meek spirit that comes from wisdom. The Lord Jesus, the embodiment of the true wisdom was not proud or arrogant; He was meek and humble from the heart (Matthew 11:29). For this all those who are truly wise will have the mark of genuine humbleness. We do not have to strain ourselves too much to have this; we obtain it when we seek Him. The man of ungodly wisdom is also characterized by his bitter jealousy and selfish. There is ambition in his heart. His great passion in life is to suit his own interests. He’s jealous of every competitor and implacable in the way he treats them. He is proud of his worldly wisdom that has given him success. The apostle James clarifies that this is nothing but vain boastfulness. This is a practical denial of the truth that says that a wise man is truly humble. We must be careful to not allow these worldly principles to guide our spiritual matters. Even when assisting at church, one could have bitter jealousy of the wise of this world. We must be careful. James rates this false wisdom as worldly, natural, sensuous, and diabolical. Worldly, because it is not wisdom from Heaven but of this world. Natural and sensual, it means that it is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit, but of the inferior nature of mankind. Diabolical or devilish, it means that the actions are more similar to the behavior of the demons than the behavior of men. Every time jealousy and rivalry is discovered in someone, you will also find disturbance and wicked deeds. Let it be clear that the devil’s wicked work is found in jealousy and rivalry. Let us emphasize that the wisdom that comes from God is pure in thoughts, words and action; it is clean. The wisdom that comes from God is not contaminated in the spirit and body, in doctrine and practice, in faith and morality. It is also pacific. One who is wise loves peace and will do everything possible to maintain that peace without sacrificing the purity. This wisdom is kind, it is condescending; it is polite. A wise Christian is a respectful gentleman towards the feelings of others. On the contrary, the sarcasm, the sharp response, a rebuff, a hostile attitude, all this has nothing in common with the gentle teachings of the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. The wisdom that comes from God is benign, conciliatory, willing to listen and reason, willing to yield when the truth demands it. It is the opposite of stubbornness. It is full of

mercy and good fruits for those who are misfortunate, living anxiously to aid those people to find the right path. It is compassionate and gentle. The wisdom that comes from God is not vengeful, it is one without hypocrisy, sincere and genuine; it does not pretend to be something it isn’t. A wise man is genuinely humble, he considers others better persons, he does not adopt a false behavior of superiority, his conduct is not like the world; he makes others feel comfortable with him and does not live for the flesh but rather for the spirit. His words and actions remind us of Jesus, he has a pure moral and spiritual life. He is clear, peaceful, tolerates insults and false accusations. He does not try to justify himself; he is gentle, soft, tender, sees the other persons point of view, you can reason with him, everyone is equal for him, he is not a hypocrite, he does not say something if he thinks differently. But, a man who lacks wisdom lives with an envious heart, with quarrels, he wants to get rich, becomes intolerant with others, there is nothing noble in his behavior, he is impure, he has a dirty mind and his morale is degraded. His speech is worldly, he is contentious everywhere, cruel, rude, harsh, it is not easy to be beside him; everyone is distant from his heart. One cannot reason with him calmly, his opinions are not subject to change, he is vengeful, resentful, when he catches someone at fault, acting wrongfully, he shows no mercy but rather insults and mischief when discharging towards that person, he values the person only to see how he can use that person for his own benefit and when that person is no longer useful he puts him aside. He has two faces; he is not sincere. What a contrast! What a great difference between those who have worldly wisdom and those who have the wisdom that comes from God! Let us love and treasure what we have received and learned from our Lord and Savior. We are very different from what we were before. The Lord transformed us giving us of His wisdom by means of the Holy Spirit and the Word so that we will be worthy of living with Him eternally in His kingdom of love, truth and justice. Let us live according to God’s wisdom and we will be always blessed and we will also have salt in us to save this world that is lost. Amen.