Week Five: James 3:13-18

  We had a short Lighthouse Bible study last night!

And I know that I skipped an entire chunk of James 3, but I did that on purpose.  Next week, we will be meeting at the regular time (7:41pm) at a different place - *****the Rooster will be closing next Tuesday at 3, so instead of meeting there next Tuesday night, we will be meeting either at Centennial Park in the center of Hartsville, or we could meet at Lawton Park for Bible Study :)  The final decision will be gien later on this week - I will make an event for it ;)

  Also, for anyone who wants to, we'll have a worship service this Sunday night at St. Luke UMC.  Everyone is welcome regardless of doctrine and denomination ;)

As for James...

Since we didn't have a long lesson last night, this Bible Study won't be very long either!

James 3:13-18

Who would you consider as a wise person?  What about them makes them wise in your mind?  Does the advise, lifestyle, and other wisdom they portray inspire you to live a life that is more like them?

James 3:13b says that the wise show their wisdom in humility - humility is learned from wisdom. 
    -   What does this mean?  What does it mean to learn humility from wisdom?

Often times, we see older generations, older people as being more wise than most of the rest of the world.  However, how often have those people felt entitled to wisdom simply based on their age?  A wise person - truly wise - is someone who may or may not have been through a lot of experience, but can see both sides of the tracks to understand the way life works...

James 3:14

Think: what does it mean to 'harbor' bad feelings?

    -   What is bitter envy?

• Think of something that tastes repulsive; you think it will be sweet, savory, or even bland, but all you taste is this raw sour flavor - that is bitter. Bitterness in food are the tastes that we don't particularly care for.  They are repulsive and nasty and we tend to avoid foods that have bitter components.  Now use that description and think about what bitter envy is...  Envy is raging and unjustified jealousy (not that any jealousy is justified...)  Bitter envy = sour grudges. 

    -   What is selfish ambition?

• A business related example of selfish ambition are the men of the turn of the 20th century: JP Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie.  They used the backs of those who worked in their factories and companies in order to make millions upon millions.  They showed no mercy or concern for those who really needed the help they thought they would find in a job under these men, but rather focused on what ambitions they had in making money.  They selfishly took advantage of the poor in order to keep making more money.  People are like this today - not only in business, but in every day lives of ordinary people.  Examples? Only talking to a friend when you need money, or a ride, bbut never really hanging out with them otherwise.  In this case, you are using your friend to get to where you need to be.

Now, considering all of this, what does it mean to harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition?

Harbor - Think about a ship that comes into a harbor to unload cargo and shipmates and other people.  The harbor is infested with what came out of that ship, the harbor is consumed with cargo and baggage, and people, just full of stuff that leaves damage even after everything is gone.  To harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition is to feed a parasite we have welcomed within us, and even after it is gone, damage is done. 

The rest of verse 14 warns against boasting about such things; why would you talk so much about why you are holding a grudge? Why would you make light of it? And overall, why would you even try to justify it????  The worst things we do as human beings is justify our wrongdoings explaining why it should be okay for us to do certain things, or live a certain way.  Don't make something out of what should be nothing. 

Verse 14 also says to not deny it.  If you're told by someone - especially someone you know you see as wise - that you need to fix something in your life, or in your heart - do not deny that you have something to fix.  To deny that you have a problem (morally, spiritually, mentally, etc.) only gives way to a bigger infestation of that problem within you (ex. you invite even more ships into your harbor to leave even more damage than you could have prevented).

James 3:17-18

The wisdom we should seek out is the wisdom that looks more like God than like man. 

What we consider as wisdom (justifying ourselves to make our argument right) is trash because it is the way the world wants us to be.  Therefore, because the world says it okay, we get what we want and don't have to think twice about it.

However, the wisdom God offers is often the hardest to accept - but it is the best for us.  God's wisdom is like the maintenance crew in a ship's harbor that comes and cleans up the trash from the people who came from the ship, and paints back over the splintered wood left from the cargo.  The wisdom God gives brings more peace than anything else because His wisdom does not aspire selfishness and justification in wrongdoing.  His is pure and loves, and is considerate and true.

Think about our biggest example of a peacemaker: a man named Jesus.

He was constantly questioned by humans who wanted him to die.  Rather than put His ministry at stake, or even the lives of others, He thought carefully about what He needed to say in order to end a dispute and keep peace with everyone without being a pacifist.  Take John 8:1-11, for example.  Jesus could have been killed right then and there, as well as lost the life of the woman had He not been wise to think about what the best option to say would be.

A peacemaker is not one that backs out of conflict once it arises - that is a coward.  A peacemaker is the one who sees the conflict, is no tbiased, and uses Christ-like wisdom to help improve the situation from all aspects.

WRAP-UP

See? Not very long ;)  Consider the lifestyle of those you think are wise; how can you adopt a more Christ-like mindset and live a life worthy of His calling by letting God change you from the inside out - starting with your wisdom?