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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, June 15, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Wisdom from Above Bible Verse:James 3:13-18 "13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. " Message:
We have a guest commentary today, a continuing weekly series on the Epistles of James, from Dr. Ken Boa of Atlanta.
The third chapter of James concludes with a contrast between earthly and divine wisdom. The wisdom which comes from above reflects the character of God and is manifested in actions which are peaceable, gentle, reasonable, and merciful (Jas. 3:17). Earthly wisdom, on the other hand, is prompted by pride and selfish ambition. It is no surprise that it leads to conflict and strife. The wisdom of this world produces the foolishness of discord and dissension. “ What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? ”(Jas. 4:1).
“And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (Jas. 3:18). This is reminiscent of our Lord's words in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9). It is only as we walk in dependence on the Spirit of God that our words and works will display His wisdom.
To the extent that we do not look to the Lord to meet all of our needs, we inevitably turn to people, things, or circumstances to fulfill them. Worldly wisdom tells us to use people, not serve them. Divine wisdom tells us that we are free to serve people because our needs are already satisfied in Christ. As we saw in an earlier discussion, we are unconditionally loved and accepted as children in the Father's family; we have true significance and identity as members of the body of Christ; and the indwelling Spirit has given us the competence to achieve God's purposes for our lives as living stones in His temple. (All of this assumes that we have made the crucial step of placing our trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins.)
If we do not find our security and significance in Christ, we become grabbers rather than givers. Like two people trying to get the same parking space, we compete for power, prestige, status, pleasure, and recognition. The inner conflict in the lives of Christians who are walking after the flesh and not in the power of the Spirit produces the outer conflict of competition and contention.
Dr. Boa is devoted to a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. He holds a B.S. in astronomy from Case Institute of Technology, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in England. I highly recommend a visit to his website, KenBoa.org, which is filled with free videos, written commentary, newsletters, etc.
Meditation : Prayer : Now all glory to you, great God, who is able to keep us from falling away and will bring us with great joy into your glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to you who alone are God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!......Amen |
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