Thoughtful Thoughts 22.11.24 by John Dunning. James Part 4

James Chapter 3 continued… 

Introduction…

A pithy sum-up of the book of James is James 2:18-19; “But someone will say, that ‘you have faith and I have actions’. Show me this faith of yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions! You believe that ‘God is one’? Good for you! The demons believe it too — the thought makes them shudder with fear!” (James 2:18-19.)

James is saying that just believing on its own is not enough. Even Satan knows the truth - which is why he shudders. 

A). The Power of the Tongue in 3:1-12 - a quick catch up… 

Controlling what you say… 

James 1 says, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” He goes on to expound the power of speech in chapter 3. 

Jesus puts it even deeper by saying that what comes out of our mouth is the overflow of our heart, (Luke 6:45), so we need to pay attention to this teaching. 

The tongue may be small, but it is the most powerful part of the body. James compared the tongue to a). a bit in a horse’s mouth, b). a small rudder on a great ship, and c). a small fire that eventually burns down an entire forest.

James begins this section by warning people about the risks of becoming a teacher 

as God will judge teachers with greater strictness. 

James explains that a spring of water cannot produce salt water and fresh water at the same time. A fig tree cannot produce olives. A grapevine cannot produce figs. 

We train animals but seem incapable of taming the tongue. The tongue is a “restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James says it is shocking when disciples abuse the tongue as the world does. A true disciple cannot bless and curse. 

Words can turn people away from God. Teachers will be held accountable. 

Someone once said, “What you are, is so loud, I can’t hear what you say”. 

B). The Wisdom of God (3:13-18)

Introduction… Wisdom comes from God. 

James 1:5-8 New King James Version (NKJV)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

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Why do we need God’s wisdom?

To please God, we must put into practice what the Scriptures teach us, and we get that by studying the Bible. We learn from James that “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17. 

If something is true it is real. The word “truth” and “reality” are the same word in Greek and Hebrew. In other words, God is looking for us to be “THE REAL THING”.

The wise walk humbly with God. That does not mean like Uriah Heap. 

In contrast, it is the unwise who manifest their heart in selfish ambition and jealousy. 

The book of James is so easy to understand, it takes fewer words to explain. It is so often ignored because it leaves no room for the excuse of “I don’t understand!” It tells us so simply that the problem is that we DO understand - and it leaves no “wiggle room” for us to make excuses! 

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C). Epilogue…Putting wisdom into practice…

a). To speak or not to speak, that is the question!

Words can build up or destroy. Words can discourage people to the point of making them give up. Words can build people up or tear them down. It can take more than one form. We can fail to encourage, support and bless others. It can even take a clever form by asking a question as a way of starting an argument. 

-Albert Einstein said, “Speak in such a way that others like to listen to you.”

What we say reveals our heart. (Luke 6:45).

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b). Listening…

James advises “be slow to speak”. (“Therefore, my dear brothers, let every person be quick to listen but slow to speak, slow to get angry”. James 1:19).

We have two ears but one mouth so that we may listen twice as much as we speak! 

Paul says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children...” (Ephesians 6:4)... 

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c). Being receptive to advice…

Many children stop following their parents faith after leaving home because of the negative memories their parents left them with. 

Billy Graham read one chapter of Proverbs a day as part of his daily quiet time as it is a book of wisdom, which has prompted me to go over Proverbs again, in the same way... The book of James has many similarities with the book of Proverbs. 

To finish on a lighter note, I can provide one funny example of wisdom. Billy Graham once revealed that he had been asked to run for President of the USA. When he told his wife, she said that he would not be elected! When he asked “why”, she said, “Because the American people will never elect a divorced man!” (ie She would divorce him if he accepted the temptation and did not continue on with the mission which God had given him!) 

Men could show greater wisdom by paying more attention to their wives' intuition - and wives could include husbands in seeking advice for problems. There is something in the saying that a problem shared is a problem halved - as long as the person you choose to share it with, is trustworthy.

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Audio of the book of James at this link… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgfkdA3fjqk

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This is John Dunning signing off from “Thoughtful Thoughts” for another week.

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