James 3:17, 4:7-8 New International Reader's Version [1]

¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That’s the most important thing about it. And that’s not all. It also loves peace. It thinks about others. It obeys. It is full of mercy and good fruit. It is fair. It doesn’t pretend to be what it is not.

James 4:7-8 New International Reader's Version [2]

⁷So obey God. Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you. ⁸Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Make your hearts pure, you who can’t make up your minds.

Operation game piece: Heart

Message

How do you know if someone is wise? (Allow children to respond.) Wisdom is a word we use a lot in church. Wisdom is understanding that comes from God. It is wise thinking. There are many people in the Bible we consider wise. Can you name someone from the Bible that was considered wise? (Allow children to answer.)

How wise are you? It may be hard to tell. Wisdom can’t be measured by how smart you are. You can’t take a test to see how wise you are. Wisdom is something you get very slowly over time. It comes from studying God’s word and making choices in life that God would be proud of. The older you grow, the wiser you should become. James reminds us that when our lives are transformed by God and our hearts are full of the love of God, we become wiser. But James also reminds us that if we don’t make our hearts pure in love with God, there’s a problem.

I am concerned for “Cavity Sam.” Look at our Operation board. I am not sure if Sam’s heart is purely in love with God. Look, his heart is broken. I don’t want us to feel that way, and thanks to James’s reminder to us that when we follow Christ, we can grow and live in a wiser way for the rest of our lives. James reminds us to choose wisdom, for wisdom comes from heaven and is pure. You’re young yet, but you can be wise right now if you follow the example that James provides us.

Prayer

God of wisdom. Come into my heart so that my life can be changed—changed for the better by loving you. I want to grow in wisdom and my heart to be so full of love that I can offer the love you give to me to others who need to feel that same love. Amen.