The wisdom that comes from heaven...

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven
is first of all pure;
then peace-loving, considerate, submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."
James 3:17

This is the scripture I'm memorizing for the first two weeks of August. I don't know what it is with me and lists, but I've noticed a lot of the verses or passages I've chosen this year include lists - with lots of adjectives. I've always been a classic "over-writer" - very fond of layers of descriptive words. But I don't think God could be accused of "over-writing" anything, and He uses repetitive, descriptive words to get His point across. Maybe that's not a bad thing!

Anyway - I love this description of the wisdom that comes from heaven - wisdom we can only get from God, from walking in step with Him. The Amplified Bible offers even more layers of words:

"But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity)."

I love the juxtaposition of peace-loving and considerate with wholehearted and straightforward. It's all about balance - with a healthy dose of purity and sincerity!

Here's The Message translation of verses 17 and 18:

"Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor."