Greetings Christ Church Missoula!

Grace to you and Peace!

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13

It would be beneficial for us to spend some time thinking about what the “meekness of wisdom” is.  James uses the term to describe what our character is to be like. But what exactly does it mean? 

In the next verses James describes the opposite of the meekness of wisdom: bitterness, envy, and self-seeking. Bitterness says, “That’s not fair! My pain is your fault!” Envy says, “I deserve what you have! Why should you have it and not me!” Self-seeking says, “My priorities outweigh yours. Me first!”  All these reactions of our fallen human nature James calls demonic.  

He goes on to describe meekness of wisdom as pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, full of good fruits, impartial, and without hypocrisy. There is an important connection, then, between meekness and wisdom. Meekness and wisdom go hand in hand in these verses. Also, they are manifest in our behavior and in particular our speech as the previous verses, James 3:4-12, warns us. 

Meekness of wisdom is behavior that subdues and puts to death the selfish desires that arise from our fallen nature.  It is willing to yield, not to the flesh which brings selfish ambition and disorder, but to the Word of God which brings peace. Meekness of wisdom is the character of Jesus that we are called to imitate.  

His mercy endures forever!

Pastor Flynn