June 5 – Humble Deeds (James 3:13-18)

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”(James 3:13)

IN WORD:
If Proverbs is the wisdom book of the Old Testament, James is the wisdom book of the New Testament. There, the profound theology of the early church is applied. Real faith is demonstrated and good works are the result. The truth of the gospel comes to life for the poor, the widows, the tongues of the saints, the suffering church, and the faithful who pray. And, according to James, it is all characterized by humility.
Why is humility a natural by-product of wisdom? Because wisdom knows who God is and it knows who we are. It sees the remarkable contrast between the two and accepts that God. Has saved us anyway. It acknowledges the utter depravity of the human condition, but affirms the glory of redemption. Where can pride fit into such an understanding? It can’t. Wisdom rules it out. Humility grows in those who see things as they really are.
When we find pride in the church, we can be sure there are believers there who don’t really understand the gospel. Pride can never exist where the gospel is clearly understood. The fact that we all struggle with pride doesn’t alter that truth at all; we all struggle with the depth and the majesty of the gospel as well. It takes a lifetime to really sink in.

IN DEED:
Ask yourself a probing question. Do your good works result in pride or in humility? If in pride, then you are doing them to earn favor from God. That is not the gospel, it is legalism. If in humility, then you are doing them because of the amazing grace you have experienced.
Be extremely wary of pride, but do not mistake it for satisfaction. The wise and understanding life of which James speaks is deeply satisfying, but it is not proud. How can it be? The good news of the mercy of God precludes it. Grace removes all sense of worthiness. We do our deeds in humility because we have no other reason to do them.

“He who knows himself best esteems himself last.”
-Henry G. Brown-