Communication

243 posts

Wisdom from Above

James 3:17 has been the focus of the last few posts. The verse provides a summary of the wisdom that comes from heaven, "wisdom from above." We began with the first three components of this wisdom and then moved to the centerpiece of being open to reason. Now we will focus on the last three components. Here is verse 17, highlighting each of the seven components. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. The fifth component is to be "full of mercy and good fruits." Think about this from the perspective of your children. Do they see a parent who is full of mercy, […]

Open to Reason – for Peace

We have looked at the importance of being open to reason. At this point let's take a quick look at James 3:18, the last verse in the section on wisdom from above. The verse reads:  "And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." The goal of being open to reason is to make peace. Often in the middle of the confusion of family disturbances, the goal of peace is lost. Instead, winning is substituted as the goal. The opportunity for a harvest of peace is lost. Damage is done. To underscore the importance of peace and peacemaking, I have selected several passages that speak of peace. This compilation is by no means comprehensive. Not […]

Open to Reason – Part 2

<p>et_final.indd</p> We are looking at the sharp contrast that the book of James makes between two kinds of wisdom , earthly wisdom and wisdom from above. The difference is sharp and distinct. This, of course, has to be the case since the source of earthly wisdom is demonic and the source of wisdom from above is the Holy Spirit. James does not offer a third type of wisdom, wisdom from the middle. It is only one of the two. That means the stakes are high. One type of wisdom leads to war, the other to peace. Read this section in James again in that light. Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his […]

Open to Reason

In the middle of the seven components of wisdom from above listed in James 3:17 is the phrase that the ESV translates open to wisdom. Other translations translate the same words as submissive, willing to yield, compliant and reasonable. In any dispute, a charge you will not hear brought against someone is that that person is open to reason. It will be just the opposite; he won’t listen to reason! And yet here it is clearly listed—open to reason. To be open to reason, you must be both wise and confident. The wise person is comfortable with God’s word. This means that he knows where to go in the Bible for help. He knows that the Bible has everything needed […]

Pure, Peaceable & Gentle

Wisdom from above. Wisdom from God. What does it look like? This one sentence in James 3:17 lists seven facets of the wisdom that comes from heaven. The first three facets show the radical nature of following God.  Let’s look at them one by one. However, before we start it is only fair to issue a warning to anyone who chooses to read further. Reading—and then implementing wisdom from heaven—will be hazardous to your flesh. It is simply not possible to take these words seriously and continue to live and speak just as you have been doing for years. The change may be painful, but it is the change of putting off what is old and destined for destruction anyway, […]

Wisdom from Above

The book of James has a lot to say about wisdom. Some have called James the wisdom literature of the New Testament. Early in chapter one the importance of wisdom is underscored by the promise that wisdom will be freely given to those who genuinely ask for it. Certainly, parents need wisdom to faithfully represent God to all of their children. But I believe that perhaps the greatest need for wisdom is when interacting with teenagers. Teenagers seem to appear out of the blue. Yesterday, you had a respectful child who seemed eager to please and thought that most of the things you said and did were wise and wonderful. This morning you woke up and found a stranger living […]

On the Radio

This Monday, February 2nd, I have the privilege of doing a live radio interview with Rick Horne, author of Get Outta My Face. You can listen live on the Internet at 1 pm, at this location: http://www.christiantalk660.com Just click on the listen button. It is a call-in program, so call 1-888-660-9535 if you would like to join in. I would love to hear from you. This book is a needed and helpful addition to the field of dealing with teenagers. Sadly, too many Christian families are plagued by intense and disturbing relations between parents and their teenage children. Rick Horne takes these issues head on and offers targeted help from the rich resources of biblical wisdom literature. Here is an […]

Facebook & Your Time

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ESV Colossians 4:5   Due to an excellent observation in a comment from Jenny, this post will address another issue regarding Facebook. Your comments and thoughts are valuable. There have been a number of good suggestions for posts in the last couple of weeks and, Lord willing, we will get to them all. Jenny raised an important consideration in her comment. She raised the concept of “me time.” As Christians our lives are to be centered on bringing honor to the name of God in all that we do. (I Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17, etc.) Our culture inundates us with the idea that our first need is to […]

It’s Just Facebook

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ESV  Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. NIV  Romans 6:4 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.  ESV Colossians 2:8 There is a tendency to follow the world’s lead and see […]

Post Only What is Helpful

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ESV Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. NIV No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear. HCSB    Ephesians 4:29 The apostle Paul does not make a suggestion for the specific type of communication that you employ in Ephesians 4:29. Rather, under the […]