In review of James 3:17 it says, “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.”
Bottom Line:
Wisdom from above is pure, peace loving, gentle and willing to yield. It is one full of mercy and illustrate the fruit of good deeds. It will show no favoritism, and will be genuine.
What this means to me:
The wisdom I obtain from above is pure, peace loving, will be gentle at all times and one that is willing to yield to the best interest of others. It is one that will display mercy and the fruit of good deeds. Ultimately it will be one that is genuine and will show no favoritism.
As I wrote about yesterday, If I am to recognize God’s voice and figure out whether I have an impression from him or not, I need to first consider if the idea agrees with the Bible.
Next I need to consider that, “If I follow through on this impression, will it make me more like Christ?”
Philippians 2:5 says, “In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus” (NCV). God’s goal is to make me more like Christ, so it makes sense that he would never give me the impression that would lead me in a direction opposite to this.
James 3:17 is packed with a great checklist for helping to see if something is an impression from God when it comes to the character qualities of Jesus Christ: “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” (NIV).
If an idea or impression is impure, then it’s not from God.
Is the impression peace loving? God’s going to give impressions that promote harmony and not conflict.
Is it considerate? When God gives an impression, he is concerned about the impact that impression is going to have on somebody else. He will not give me an impression that will mess up others lives.
Is this impression submissive? This simply means it will be humble, teachable, and not arrogant. If I’ve really heard from God, then I shouldn’t be afraid to test that idea by sharing it with others and getting their input.
Is it full of mercy? What I hear from God will make me full of mercy.
Is it impartial and sincere? An idea from God won’t make me manipulate and control others.
Checking an impression against these seven character qualities of Jesus Christ will help me know if an idea is from God and if it will make me more like Jesus.
Given what I’m learning, I can show God that I want to be more like his Son Jesus, by asking daily in prayer for him to shape my heart and by checking impressions I get against the James 3:17 checklist. Impressions I get should always be characterized by how it will treat and affect others.
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