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Anne Johnston

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Always Sincere

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“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17

The last item on our list of the attributes of God’s wisdom is one that we all need to think about a lot.  We often hear people say that there are a lot of hypocrites in the church.  And of course, the reply comes back, “there is always room for one more.”

SINCERITY

God’s wisdom is always sincere.  We can trust that when we go to Him as we are facing a temptation or problem, that He will give us the right answer whether it is what we want to hear or not.  Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet He was without sin.  So, we can trust that whenever we are going through a time of temptation, He knows exactly what we are facing, and He will provide a way of escape for us.

It is human nature for us to want other people to like us and to believe in us.  It is never good to try to make ourselves look better in other’s eyes than what we really are, because they will be able to detect insincerity and hypocrisy.  Let us seek the Lord for His wisdom, and to let Him always help us to be real.

Let’s sum up this whole thing about God’s wisdom by looking at James 3:18 “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” NLT

What a promise this is for those who earnestly go to God for wisdom, listen to what He tells us and puts it into practice.

I hope that these thoughts on God’s Wisdom have been a blessing and that we all have drawn closer to the Lord this week.

Prayer:  Jesus, we thank you for your wisdom, help us to apply it to our hearts and become the peacemakers you want us to be, for we know that we will reap a harvest of righteousness.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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God Has No Favourites

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“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17

We meet a lot of different people and there will always be some we like better than others.  But in our walk with the Lord, we need to not treat one better than another.

SHOWS NO FAVOURITISM

I will always remember a place where I spent a week the summer after my first year of Bible School.  We were doing VBS every day and there were special meetings in the evening.  It was a great week and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.  But one thing that stands out in my memory was the way the seats were arranged in the sanctuary.  Off on one side away from the rest were two chairs. These were reserved for a mother and her daughter who were a little bit different.  They were not dressed like others in the church, and from all appearances came from the poorer section of town.  I remember asking why and being told it was because the rest of the people had sensitive noses, so these two were seated apart.

I am not telling this to be critical of the church there, I probably was just as bothered with the odor as anyone else, and I regret to say that I did not reach out to these two as near as I can remember.  Looking back, I wish I had.  I guess this was a time I neglected to ask God for wisdom, but I am sure if I had, He would have told me to befriend them.

In God’s sight we are all the same, rich or poor, young or old, ugly or pretty.  Someone has said, “the ground is always level at the cross.”  Looking back over my life, I realize that as children we were considered from a poor family, but I am glad that God in His wisdom, sent someone to reach out to us and bring us the message of salvation.  He has no favourites.

For our last devotion tomorrow, let’s consider Sincerity.

Prayer:  Jesus, you love us all the same, you care for us and you desire that we will be loving and kind to everyone, not just the people we like the best.

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Mercy and Good Deeds

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“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17

This time of year, there are lots of opportunities to show mercy and do good deeds for others.  Food banks, children’s organizations, churches, etc. are looking for donations to provide Christmas gifts and food for the less fortunate in our areas.  Number five on our list is very appropriate.

MERCY AND GOOD DEEDS

It is not a question of asking God for wisdom as to whether we should get involved in these things, it is asking Him for wisdom as to what organizations to support.  A few years ago, our Senior’s group in our church decided we needed to reach out in some way to others in our community, so we organized a food drive and were able to donate boxes of food to two Refugee families.  I am sure it was a blessing, but we realized that other groups in the Community were doing this every year and were much more equipped to do it.  So, I believe that is was wisdom from the Lord, that gave us a better idea.

We now each have a small jar that sits on our tables, with a label on it, reading “Senior’s Generosity Fund.”  Loonies, toonies and other loose change fills these bottles which are brought to the church in November.  Last year we gave cheques to two local charities so that they could make Christmas for people they knew in need.  This year, our response has been even greater, and we expect to reach out to two or three organizations again.

God has been so merciful to us, and we just want to give back to others.  His wisdom shows us that is His will.

Tomorrow we will look at Impartiality.

Prayer:  Thank you Jesus, for all the wonderful blessings you have bestowed on us.  Help us to give back to others as you give us wisdom and direction.

Devotion by Anne Johnston

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