“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.” James 3:13-14(NKJV)
Do you consider yourself to be wise or understanding? How do you know if you are? This scripture says you will show it by your good conduct. Truth is most people do not even know what good conduct is. We struggle with all kinds of conduct that hinders our walk with God and affects other people. There is a choice in every situation. Do we do what we “know” or what we “know is right’? We can only operate on the input we have received through out our lives whether good or bad. We live like the people we know if we do not know any other truth.
All people need to be changed from what we were when we were born. Otherwise, we will all choose the wrong standards for our life. We are all products of our experiences in life and how we let them affect us. I am what I am because of the way in which I have processed the information I have been given. I hate because I was taught to hate. I fear because I was taught to fear. I am prejudice because I was taught to be prejudice. I hold un-forgiveness because I was taught to. I judge others because I have been told that they judge me. Do you see that this is a vicious cycle that we allow to control us? Why is it easier to do unto others what they do unto me than doing unto others what I would have them do to me?
Who starts the process in motion? Why do I think it should always be them? Nothing ever changes until someone makes an effort to change. Does being nice to someone give them an advantage over me? Evil is based on force, but good is based on love. No one does, on purpose, evil to one they love in order to hurt them. When we speak evil of another we are attempting to hurt them. Why? Mostly because we do not like how their conduct affected us. Why do we always think our feelings are the most important in the world? Be more like Jesus. He laid aside all His feels for your sake.