Wisdom From Above

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. [James 3.17-18]

Wisdom from above - now there's a goal for life.

Wisdom from above pretty much solves every problem one might encounter. It is no wonder that wisdom from above is peace loving and gentle at all times.

"Willing to yield to others..." is something we all need to work on. It is the beginning of mercy which is very much tied to forgiveness. I dare say this little phrase gives more of us more trouble than most other phrases in the whole of the Bible. 

It is this phrase "willing to yield to others" that Jesus' death on the cross demonstrated in its fullness. By dying on the cross, Jesus yielded to others - He gave them clear passage while He Himself suffered for it. He gave "the world" preference over Himself. He 'fleshed out' God's love in this way (John 3.16).

Pretty much every day, we encounter opportunities to yield to others. Pretty much every day, we fail to yield to others. Pretty much every day we have reason to repent for this cause.

The relationship between yielding to others and wisdom from above is undeniable in James 3.17-18. In other words, the person who is unyielding to others does not operate in the wisdom from above.

The relationship between yielding to others and forgiveness is obvious here. Without a forgiving heart, one will never yield to others. Without a forgiving heart, one will never find the inclination to yield to others.

This speaks to me today. I was in the city yesterday and a guy cut in front of me in traffic. He very obviously forced his way in causing me to have to "yield." I struggled to keep myself from feeling taken advantage of, from feeling angry, and from feeling retaliatory. What was the lesson? I don't have the wisdom from above. I need to work on it!

Father, I want Your wisdom from above in its purity. I can see the need in my life to yield to others...