Heavenly Wisdom

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:13-17) 

Knowledge is passive, but wisdom is active. No one can see whether we possess knowledge of a particular topic, but everything we do or fail to do reveals whether we possess wisdom. The wisdom of God was revealed in the incarnation of Jesus, who became like us in order to save us, enacting God’s mercy while upholding His justice. The wisdom of God is revealed today when we imitate Jesus’ humble, selfless, pure, compassionate presence in the lives of others.

“Heavenly Father, give us wisdom to act as Jesus did, out of humble, selfless compassion, bringing peace to whomever we encounter and producing fruit that glorifies You, grateful for our salvation and Your Spirit, in Jesus’ name, amen.” 

THE PRICE OF PEACE

An attractive woman finds herself seated next to a wealthy lawyer on a long flight.

Attempting to flirt with his seat mate, he asks if she would like to play a game. 

The tired woman politely declines and turns to the window to catch a few winks. 

The lawyer persists and explains that the game is easy and a lot of fun. He explains, 

"I ask a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5, and vice versa." 

Again, she declines and closes her eyes to nap. The lawyer, now agitated, says, 

"Okay, if you don't know an answer you pay me $5, and if I don't know one, I’ll pay $500."
 
This catches her attention and, figuring she’ll have no peace until she plays, she agrees. 

The lawyer asks the first question: "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?"

She doesn't say a word, reaches into her purse, pulls out a $5 bill and hands it to him.

"Okay," he says, "your turn." With a thoughtful look, she asks:

"What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?"

Puzzled, he takes out his laptop and searches all his references, no answer. 

He hops on the Internet and searches Google and the Library of Congress. Nothing. 

Frustrated, he sends e-mails to several friends and coworkers, to no avail. 

After an hour, he wakes the young woman and hands her $500.

She says, "Thank you," and turns back to get some more sleep.

The lawyer, more than a little miffed, stops her and asks, "Well, what's the answer?"

Without a word, she reaches into her purse, hands him $5, and goes back to sleep.

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The Lord give you wisdom for all life’s challenges, in Jesus!

Pastor Kirk