"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."
- James 3:17-18
"But the wisdom from above is...gentle..."
Day Three!
Heirs of the Kingdom of Love, your master, and your God was described by his closest friends as kind, forbearing, and gentle (Matt. 11:29). Jesus Christ announced the time of Jubilee to his Spouse (Luke 4:18-19). The deaf heard. The blind saw. The lame skipped. The downtrodden feasted. The lepers worshiped. The humble danced. The sin-stained celebrated. The dead were raised. Just as people in Jesus’ day ached to be with him, we grow in intimate fellowship with God by “praying without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). The gentleness of wisdom contrasts with the boasting of a restless tongue (James 3:1-12). Thomas Manton describes the considerateness of gentility as moderation in criticism, opinions, and behavior as he notes, “When people insist on every detail of their rights, it gives way to contention, and all patience is lost. This gentleness, then, is opposite to strictness, to criticizing rigorously, and to intemperate argument. And so a truly wise Christian is moderate.”
The song “O Lord, Be Thou My Helper True” reflects on the realities of a broken world, as expressed in Psalm 12, by faith in the faithful, trustworthy, and steadfast lover of our souls as a way of viewing James 3:17.
O Lord, be thou my helper true,
for just and godly men are few;
the faithful who can find?
From truth and wisdom men depart,
with flattering lips and double heart
they speak their evil mind.
Because the poor are sore oppressed,
because the needy are distressed,
and bitter are their cries,
the Lord will be their helper strong;
to save them from contempt and wrong
Jehovah will arise.
Jehovah’s promises are sure,
his words are true, his words are pure
as silver from the flame.
Though base men walk on every side,
his saints are safe, whate’er betide,
protected by his name.
May you take refuge in the shelter of the greatness of God’s glory revealed in both the mercy of cross and the majesty of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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