Nougat 10

I don’t think the full ramifications of Godly Wisdom had ever crossed my mind before. It’s hard work, isn’t it? Please consider today’s Holy Nougat

“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.” ‭‭James‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If one is wise; why yield to others? That may be one of the hardest tasks ever! Just think; you know what you have to say is valuable and offers real and transformative solutions and yet you opt to forfeit your right to be right. Some would argue that that makes me sense at all. But the wisdom of God is foolishness to a misunderstanding world. And we know that where God is; some are less likely to engage.

Willingness to yield also relinquishes control. And that’s possibly the best place to be. It is even possible that in relinquishing control that it comes right back to us. And, our patience can also have the effect of being listened to. We find that the wait prepares others to hear our counsel.

In the days of the Israelite kings, several had personal advisers who purportedly spoke on God’s behalf. Jeremiah was a prophet of God who never diluted the Word sent by God. He was jailed, jeered and just ignored by the false prophets and even the king. When Godly counsel was needed; Jeremiah was the last voice to speak; or sought in secret. Likewise, Elisha of Shapath was only sought AFTER the other prophets gave counsel and the visiting king, Jehoshaphat, inquired about a godly prophet. Interestingly, King Joram wasn’t keen on hearing from him, because he didn’t yield to the king’s desires.

Yieldedness is not about catering to the whims and fancies of the people; but being open to God’s Spirit and recognizing that others may need to speak; whether they are wise or not. Sometimes Wisdom is more about forfeiting our right to speak than anything else.

And even as we marvel at such behavior of those who would ignore our counsel, we might be convicted of the many times God’s counsel is our last or forgotten resort. If God’s voice sometimes gets ignored by us, God’s children, we know that the same can ensue when we speak to others with Godly counsel. Do we need to yield to God?

—

May all we seek be found in Christ