But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, 

and willing to yield to others. 

It is full of mercy 

and the fruit of good deeds.

It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:16-18  NLT

Let's look at the last part;

Wisdom from above shows no favoritism.

The longer I wonder about this, the more difficult it is. This isn't about treating everyone the same, because some people are not safe for us, but it gets me thinking in the Bigger Story how do I see others?

Where does favoritism show up?

And then James adds that wisdom from above is always sincere! There's no faking it!

We're invited to think about our biases and our good deeds and where and to whom we focus those. 

Wisdom from above is not a test, a pass/fail, an assessment, but a way of being, and James invites us into that, and wraps up this idea with an agriculture analogy.

Planting. 

Planting seeds of peace. 

As the planter we can't control the outcome, the weather, the birds pecking, the actions of others, just the planting.

Keep planting seeds of shalom, of peace, where you are, where you go next, and the wisdom from above will come to life.

#James

#invitation

#wisdomfromabove

#beaplanterofseedsofpeace