Teach Us to Live

James 3:13 True Wisdom Comes from God New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹³ If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

¹⁴ But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. ¹⁵ For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

James 3:13   Live Well, Live Wisely The Message (MSG)

 ^13-16Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

          Once again I find The Message helps me to understand Scripture in my terms. We see this earthly wisdom daily, unfortunately usually from our politicians. The men and women we chose to represent us have this “Mean-spirited ambition” disguised as wisdom and we see it in their day to day dealing with us and each other. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the world leaders would live honorably and look out for what is best for the people they represent?

          What would the world look like if we all lived by God’s wisdom? When I think about Jesus coming and living on earth I don’t think of palaces and a million different pairs of sandals. I think of how He touched peoples’ lives.

          Philippians 3:19-21 states: “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (NIV)

          Dear God, as Christians we are called to be Your hands, feet, and mouth on this earth. Help us to live as Jesus lived…more concerned with those in need than those in power.