we are taking a biblical test here on the front
porch of whether we are a wise person or not.
james here in the 3rd chapter, 17th verse (msg) of
his nt book gives us a list of what a wise person looks like. the last two days we’ve seen that real
wisdom GOD’s wisdom begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting
along with others and today we see that it is gentle.
the niv uses the word considerate. wisdom is considerate and it means that i am “mindful of the feelings of others.” so the question is are you considerate of
other people’s feelings? if you are then
you are wise. how are you doing so far
on this test?
now we all are different and we have different
feelings, different ways to look at a situation whatever it is. GOD made us that way and HE is telling us here
that it is a wise thing to be gentle with each other in the different ways that
we look at the situation. i am to be
considerate and not minimize your feelings.
i don’t have to agree with them but i can understand them.
proverbs 15.4 (gnt), kind words bring life, but
cruel words crush your spirit. that
is really true isn't it?
many times in these type of situations we say
things that hurt. often we belittle how
they feel. we put them down or we play
psychologist. “i know why you feel that
way?” we can be so condescending toward
them.
do you ever play the my day was harder than your
day game? my day can beat your day. husband comes home worn out and starts
complaining, “the traffic was bad, my boss got upset, the heat wouldn’t work
and i froze.: wife says, “oh, yeah? junior dunked the cat down the toilet, the
beans burned…”
the fact is they both had a rough day. wisdom is considerate. allow your spouse to be tired without having
to say, “i’m more tired than you are.”
the fact is, you’re both tired.
Be gentle, be considerate, don’t minimize their feelings. that is the wise thing to do
just a thought from the front porch…
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