Jas 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.
A fitting subtitle to my post would be "The Call to Prayer". I'm sure James 3:17 has been used by some Bible teacher, somewhere, as a text for prayer, but I've never heard it done. All true wisdom comes from God, because God-in-Christ is the personification of Wisdom. Wisdom is a Person. Each word that can be used to describe heavenly wisdom, is also a sure adjective for God, as sure as you could describe me as having green eyes, small hands, and no tattoos. "The Sheila that comes from Tennessee is first a brunette, green-eyed, small hands, without tattoos or an expensive car."
"But the God that comes from above is first pure..." oh, His name is Holy! The next phrase that stops me in mid-breath is "open to reason".
"Come, let us reason together says the Lord."
"Test Me in this."
"Seek, and you'll find."
The perfect wisdom of God trumps my weak human reasoning every time, but still...He has no desire for monologue with me. He wants dialogue. He wants me to come reason with Him. He is open to hear my thoughts and questions - and in fact, that is the first step towards the aligning of my mind to His. If I'll just pray. If I'll just reason with Him. If I'll just speak to him without ambiguity, or insincerity.
I've been reading (again) the book "The Kneeling Christian". This book is an old classic, written by "An Unknown Christian". You just HAVE to love that. Somebody wanted not one penny of royalties from a book that has probably sold a half million copies by now.
Choice Bits:
Much secret prayer means much public power.
If God were to answer the words we repeated on our knees this morning, should we know it? Should we recognize the answer?
Why, the wonder is not that we pray so little, but that we can ever get up from our knees if we realize our own need; the needs of our home and our loved ones; the needs of our pastor and the church; the needs of our city....
When we stand with Christ in glory, looking o'er life's finished story, the most amazing feature of that life as it is looked back upon will be its prayerlessness.
What is prayer? It is a sign of spiritual life. I should as soon expect life in a dead man, as spiritual life in a prayerless soul. Our spirituality and our fruitfulness are always in proportion to the reality of our prayers.
6 comments:
Good stuff! This post was encouraging and challenging to me. Thanks for sharing! :)
Sheila wrote, " Why the wonder is not that we pray so little, but that we can ever get up from our knees, if we realize our own need; the needs of our home and our loved ones; the needs of our Pastor and the church; the needs of our City"
Yes Lord if we only *stayed* in the mind set of prayer all day, every day.
I saw a man this morning that broke my heart and sent me to prayer. He was on a motorcycle with a shirt that said "He wanted to grow up and be a serial killer! In my natural state I thought how awful, but I just had to speak to him and look into his eyes and all I saw was pain, hurt and desperation... he could not look at me, he had to drop his head. I hurt so for that man. We have to bring ourselfs to look at these people and pray and reach out to them. Get past ourselfs, Jesus died for these very people. Whether they be in a designer suit or in rags, makes no different.. Pray, Pray, Pray!!
Love
Vickie E
Liz, thank you for commenting! I linked you, finally, if you look at my blog list, you'll see yours! I loved what you said about rain in your blog...I so agree.
Vickie - amazing that we can impact strangers with prayer. Prayer is as limitless as God is. We do not have to "know" the man on the street, because GOD KNOWS HIM. We can pray, and God will act.
I well-remember an old saying, "Something happens when we pray, that does not happen when we don't."
I am grateful for your faithful, consistent, insightful commentary on my blogs!
Wow! Thanks for sharing this....I am challenged!
Love you much,
Wendy
PS, LOVE the new music set! : )
Thanks for the link! :)
Wendy, I am challenged, too. And isn't Nickel Creek just *fantastic*? I adore anything done with that Appalachian sort of style.
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