#fruit of righteousness sown in peace

[scripture-pictures]

[aspirant1598]

[awideplace]

And the seed whose fruit is righteousness (spiritual maturity) is sown in peace by those who make peace [by actively encouraging goodwill between individuals].

James 3:18

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

22nd September >> Mass Readings (USA)

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

(Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II))

First Reading Wisdom 2:12, 17–20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death.

The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 54:3–4, 5, 6–8

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

O God, by your name save me, and by your might defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer; hearken to the words of my mouth.

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

For the haughty have risen up against me, the ruthless seek my life; they set not God before their eyes.

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

Behold, God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life. Freely will I offer you sacrifice; I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.

R/ The Lord upholds my life.

Second Reading James 3:16—4:3 The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Beloved: Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:14

Alleluia, alleluia. God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 9:30–37 The Son of Man is to be handed over.…Whoever wishes to be first will be the servant of all.

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[womanwarriorofgodww59]

`James 3:18 (KJV) And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

God calls us to be peace-loving people in all that we do. For in Him, we know eternal peace, and so He instructs us to sow peace with others. Where condemnation leads to wrath and discord, peace sown in love and mercy leads to the righteousness that comes only from God’s grace.

Father, thank You for reconciling me to You and filling me with Your peace. Teach me to cherish Your peace so that it may reside deep within me, and be evident in my words and actions. As I share Your peace with others, I pray that You might nurture those seeds and bring forth righteousness as You impart Your grace on others and draw me nearer to You, In Jesus’ name, amen.

[hiswordsarekisses]

There is nothing humble or grateful about saying “it must be nice” and the attitude behind it is not from the Lord. “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” James‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭18‬

[jesus-is-lord-and-savior]

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

(James 3:17-18, ESV)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Taming the Tongue

1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. — James 3 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 1:26; 2 Chronicles 6:36; Psalm 12:3; Psalm 32:9; Psalm 39:1; Psalm 73:8; Psalm 92:14; Psalm 120:2-3; Psalm 140:3; Proverbs 11:18; Proverbs 16:27; Proverbs 17:20; Jeremiah 6:7; Matthew 7:16; Matthew 7:20; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 23:8; Luke 6:36; Acts 10:12; Acts 13:1; Acts 27:11; Romans 2:8; Romans 2:20; 1 Corinthians 11:7; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Titus 3:2; James 1:16; James 1:19; James 1:27; James 2:18; 1 Peter 1:15

[gayleviticus]

okay I think I’ve got a pretty convincing argument that Jesus’ second coming or the end/rebirth of the world or whatever isn’t gonna happen til we’ve fixed the whole Christianity being a western thing and especially oppressive and colonial like as much as we work to call it to account and decolonise and undo harmful power structures and all its not gonna be in our lifetime (could be just me getting pissed off at the people who try to use it to evoke fear but genuinely I think I’ve got theology behind this). Like we gotta stop being elite entitled assholes and just get to work making hope something for the people who need it the most and not an excuse the way it’s an excuse for just about everything except perfectly normal sex these days

tell me more!! i don't have a deeply thought out stance on this i think but i do definitely vibe w this

i know 'the second coming as a culmination of people working towards good things on earth' was a take that peaked in the 1900s and then kinda died with world war 2 which is reasonable and certainly a strike against uncritical optimism that history will inherently tend towards getting better with no effort or without significantly revolutionising how we do things.

but also 'the second coming will magically fix all our problems so let's just wait for that' is a total dead end, and there is certainly much ample space for us to be doing good throughout the world - Jesus did liken the Kingdom of God to a mustard tree that takes time to grow from the smallest of seeds after all, and we are the Body of Christ on earth.

also side note but on this general topic i like this bit from one of the vatican II documents (bolded the most relevant part):

But we are sure that God is preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth. In this new earth righteousness is to make its home, and happiness will satisfy, and more than satisfy, all the yearnings for peace that arise in human hearts. On that day, when death is conquered, the sons of God will be raised up in Christ; what was sown as something weak and perishable will be clothed in incorruption. Love and the fruits of love will remain, and the whole of creation, made by God for man, will be set free from the frustration that enslaves it. We are warned indeed that a man gains nothing if he wins the whole world at the cost of himself. Yet our hope in a new earth should not weaken, but rather stimulate our concern for developing this earth, for on it there is growing up the body of a new human family, a body even now able to provide some foreshadowing of the new age. Hence, though earthly progress is to be carefully distinguished from the growth of Christ’s kingdom, yet in so far as it can help toward the better ordering of human society it is of great importance to the kingdom of God. - https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/this-world-and-the-next-world-vatican-ii/

[babygirllittleman]

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

James:3:17-18

[childofchrist1983]

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. - James 3:14-18 KJV

Hijacking planes and killing innocent people does not make anyone sympathetic to a cause. Today, we remember the day that two planes destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York as well as the one that hit the Pentagon and the one that was also aimed at Washington, D.C. and was stopped by the heroic actions of the people on that plane. If we want the world to come together and work together for peace, terrorism is not the way to go.

Just think about your own family. If you want a peaceful family, you don't go out of your way to cause problems, fighting with one another and destroying one another's property. Peaceful people sit down and discuss their differences and try to work out a compromise. Jealousy and ambition are a deadly combination for anyone. We see how they contribute to problems within families, within neighborhoods, and between businesses. If we begin to feel stirrings of jealousy, may we count our blessings and not what we lack. Remember, someone will always have more than you have and someone will always have less. And may we never forget the innocent victims of another's violence.

There are different forms of "wisdom" as we know. Jesus Christ gave us the example of the corrupt steward who got caught and went back to those he had been swindling and had them rewrite the amount of goods they owed so that they would take care of him when he lost his position. Jesus praised him for his worldly wisdom. But that is not the wisdom that God gives us in the gift of the Holy Spirit. This wisdom is given to us so that we will be more able to follow His way of love and to see the best ways to bring justice to an unjust world. This is the wisdom that brings peace and not discord. So much damage has been done in the world in God's name. Let all men and women remember that God is the Almighty and the one true God. He is a God of love and peace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives according to His Holy Word and will. We must make God top priority everyday!

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[aspirant1598]

[glass-expanse]

James 3

Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive stricter judgement, for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.

Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.

Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God's likeness with it. Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater stream yield fresh water.

Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom's gentleness. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't brag and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for May 16, 2023 Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 16:21-24(KJV): 21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. 22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and healthy to the bones. Proverbs 16:21-24(Amp): 21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent, understanding, and knowing; and winsome speech increases learning (in both speaker and listener). 22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it, but to give instruction to fools is folly. 23 The mind of the wise instructs his mouth and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.

Thought for the Day

Verse 21 - The wise in heart are called "prudent." This kind of wisdom comes from the Lord, who places it in our hearts when we seek Him. There is another kind of wisdom that the Bible calls earthly, sensual, and devilish. It produces strife, confusion, and every evil work. "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" (James 3:13-18).

Learning to control what we say is the first step in gaining godly wisdom. God's wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, and merciful. It bears good fruit. It is impartial and has no hypocrisy. A wise person is a good learner and listener. Proverbs has much to say about wisdom and understanding; both are increased by the words we hear and speak.

Verse 22 - A fool is rebellious and unteachable. It is a waste of time to try to instruct him. If we take the time to attentively study God's Word, then understanding will rise within us, becoming a wellspring from which we may draw upon in life's situations.

Verse 23 - If we are wise, we will stop and think before we say something. People who just blurt out what comes into their head when they are upset invariably cause damage with their mouths. The wise are able to persuade others to their way of thinking by presenting things in a winsome way.

Verse 24 - Like honey, wholesome words are sweet to the mind and bring healing to the body. Harboring resentment and bitterness lead to harsh words. Cruel words, repeated over and over, can produce physical illness or bring other curses, both to the recipient and the speaker. No one likes to associate with those who have ugly dispositions and who continually voice destructive or even unpleasant things. Two ways to guard our hearts are by being careful to quickly forgive others and by watching what we say. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee" (Proverbs 4:23-24).

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, we are thankful for all of Your many blessings this day. Lord, we do desire to have Your wisdom. You see the future, so help us to make the best decisions, so that we do not have greater problems tomorrow. Lord, help us to guard our mouths and restrain our lips from any evil. Help us to be loving witnesses of Your goodness and give us the boldness to proclaim the gospel. Bless all of those who touch our lives and keep them from harm. We are grateful to be Your children. Father, we ask this in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. From: Steven P. Miller @ParkermillerQ, Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups Tuesday, May 16, 2023, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, https://www.facebook.com/StevenParkerMillerQ Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956, Twitter: @GatekeeperWatchman1, @ParkermillerQ, https://twitter.com/StevenPMiller6 Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gatekeeperwatchman, https://www.tumblr.com/gatekeeper-watchman, https://www.pinterest.com/GatekeeperWatchman1/ #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

[mindfulnessministry]

[hiswordsarekisses]

“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James‬ ‭3:14-18‬