Wisdom is Peace-Loving

Chuckle: I heard of one man who was so argumentative that he only ate food that disagreed with him!!!

Good Quote: "A good deal of trouble has been caused in the world by too much knowledge and too little wisdom." --Unknown source

"Wisdom that comes from heaven is first pure; then peace-loving . . . Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness" (James 3:17-18 NIV). "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace" (Galatians 5:22 NIV).

People with divine wisdom seek to live in peace and be peacemakers. They produce harmony between people. Such a person never looks for fights, arguments, etc. Some people are always ready for a fight or an argument. We want to steer clear of these types of encounters if we possibly can. However, this does not mean we should compromise on Godly principles. We are not to pursue peace at the expense of purity or truth. God certainly wants us to defend vigorously what is right, and be true to our God-given convictions. I'm talking about peace at God's price -- not peace at any price. . .

How do you react to conflict? Do you have the desire and skills to quell conflicts -- to be a peacemaker? Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons (children) of God" (Matthew 5:9). If being a peacemaker is important enough to be addressed specifically by our Lord, it certainly should be equally important to us. It will be if we have received wisdom from God. There are several potential causes of conflict. Here are three:

Comparing people: To a wife: "If you could only cook like my mother." To a younger child: "Why don't you act like your older sister?" If we are wise, we will understand the destructive nature of such comments and avoid making them.

Condemning people: Always picking at people - finding fault - saying that little critical remark. Jesus addressed this subject in Matthew 7:3 as he tells us not to judge or condemn others. He said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye." Finding fault with others is easy, but unless we have true wisdom, seeing our own faults is much more difficult.

Contradicting people: No one likes to be interrupted in the middle of a sentence or be contradicted. William James has said: "The secret of wisdom is knowing what to overlook." Some things are not worth fighting over. Look back at your relationships and consider those things which have caused you conflict. Most likely they were small and insignificant but blown all out of proportion.

Being a peacemaker is another sign of spiritual maturity that comes from wisdom granted to us by God's Word and the Holy Spirit of God. The "harvest of righteousness" James talks about in verse 18 means the reward or result of doing what God demands -- to follow divine wisdom is to be led into righteous and holy living. If you are living in conflict, ask God for wisdom and the will to love peace and to be a peacemaker.

Love, Jerry & Dotse