Quality #5 - Full of Mercy

It shouldn't surprise us that wisdom that comes from God will be full of mercy. Mercy is one of God's characteristics that distinguishes Him from other deities. Christianity is the only belief system in the world where the central religious figure or deity or object or worship shows mercy to people. In all the others, it's about people trying to avoid judgment and condenmnation.

God shows mercy whenever He decides to withhold punishment and judgment that someone deserves because of their sin. The Bible is filled from one end to the other with stories of God showing mercy to His people, even when they make colossal mistakes and dumb decisions. All of those people needed God's mercy to avoid the judgment that those mistakes and decisions should have gotten them. Think about the biggest screw-up you've done in your life. Likely some of the things you read about in Scripture are significantly worse in comparison just by the damage they did. But your screw-ups, no matter how big or small, are deserving of punishment and judgment just as much as the ones people were committing thousands of years ago.

God's mercy has 3 important characteristics:

1. Witholding judgment - for every sin, there's a penalty. When God exercises mercy, he withholds judgment, and the penalty is not imposed.
2. Active compassion - God doesn't just hand out blanket mercy for everything and continue with His day. God is active in showing his compassion for people. It is His ongoing love and often His continued patience that make His mercy a living, breathing thing!
3. God's character - Mercy is not something God drags out and uses every now and then. It is a central part of His character. Everything about who God is involves His mercy. It plays into everything God does.

We know we are hearing from God when what we here is smothered in mercy--not just mercy for ourselves, but mercy for others. There are times when you may sense that God is leading you to show mercy to another student, classmate or teammate. Or you find yourself caring about someone who maybe not everyone shows compassion for. In times like these, we might think, "Why me? Why is God leading me to treat this person differently? Why do I have to be the one to sit with them at lunch? Why do I have to give away something I've worked hard for to someone less fortunate?" Questions like these are often easily answered by considering that God isn't picking on you. He's loading you up with wisdom fueled by mercy. The wisdom God gives you in those situations may be designed to make a huge difference in someone else's life, even setting them on a path to draw closer to Him.

CHALLENGE QUESTION: Thinking about the mercy God has shown to you, is God leading you to show mercy to someone at your school or church, in your community, maybe even in your family? What does it look like practically for you to take that step?

Quality #6 - Full of Good Fruits

James kind of stuck quality #5 and quality #6 together, but I think it's important to consider them separately. In the Bible, the idea of "good fruits" is mentioned a lot. You may be familiar with Galatians 5:22-23 where we find the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those character traits that are positive, uplifting, life-giving, and designed to help others see who God is and what He is like.

You know that what you're hearing is coming from God if it is promoting or encouraging you to put the positive character traits He has given you into practice. The most difficult "good fruit" from God for me to practice is patience. I feel like I've been battling that my whole life. I'm always in a hurry and I tend to get frustrated with situations that aren't moving along as I think they should or as fast as they could. Thoughts pop into my mind that are wanting me to take the path of impatience and frustration. Are those thoughts coming from God? I think you know the answer. If I take those thoughts and test them against what I know to be "good fruit", those thoughts fail to pass. So I can let those thoughts go and not act on them. They are not wisdom coming from above.

CHALLENGE QUESTION: Which elements of the fruit of the Spirit do you struggle the most with? What wisdom can you apply to help you have victory over those struggles?

Quality #7 - Impartial

We live in a culture today where taking sides is the norm. Whether it's politics, world events, social issues, disagreements among friends, even family disputes, everyone is almost expected to take sides. And listen, the sides can be very convincing! I think if you spent all your time only hearing one side of an issue, you would take that side. And then if you spent the same amount of time only hearing the other side, you might be persuaded to switch sides. Whatever the situation, there's something about being human that makes us want to fit in by joining a side.

There's nothing wrong with being passionate about something, with working hard toward that passion, or with standing up against the opposition on an issue. But sometimes we need to consider that God may be calling us to not take sides. In my mentoring work with teenagers, I often remind them that as believers, God's wisdom helps us not to get caught up in the chaos around us. God's wisdom often allows us to be the voice of reason, the calming force, the peaceful alternative. Just because there are two sides to something doesn't always mean you have to take a side. As you listen for the Lord to speak wisdom to you, look for those opportunities where God may be leading to be impartial.

CHALLENGE QUESTION: Think about your group of friends, classmates, teammates or co-workers. Where do you have the opportunity to be the voice of reason when there is conflict? How can you apply wisdom to how you navigate those situations?

Quality #8 - Sincere

The definition of sincere is this: being completely honest, genuine, and free from deceit, pretense, or hypocrisy. We sometimes find ourselves in situations where our thoughts are telling us that the best course of action is simply to avoid making a fool of ourselves, or to keep from looking bad in front of friends, or to judge someone for doing the same things that we do. In the heat of the moment, it's sometimes hard to fight off those thoughts. A lot times, the easy way out of something, the simple solution, the answer that is going to avoid grounding, loss of privileges or other punishment, is to avoid being honest and genuine.

If you have mixed feelings about whether or not to be honest or genuine, you have to decide what feelings you're going to listen and respond to. Almost without fail, the wisdom from above is going to lead you to honesty and being genuine, even if there's a cost. I think back to the Columbine shootings, where two students went in a shot up their high school in 1999. As they were going around the rooms of the school, they came across student Cassie Bernall. One of the gunmen put a gun to her head and asked if she believed in God. She was shot and killed right after she answered "yes".

I certainly hope you never end up in a life-or-death situation like that, but sometimes life does present us with the opportunity to be honest and genuine when there are serious consequences. As you listen for God's wisdom in those situations, remember that God's entire game plan is founded on honesty and being genuine. In Genesis 3:1-7 the devil tried to convince Adam and Eve that God was holding out on them. And when they believed that, the future of humanity was doomed. His guidance for you is always going to be built on honesty. And never forget that your lack of honesty or a compromise of your integrity, or an act of deceit doesn't just affect you--it can impact the whole body of Christ.

CHALLENGE QUESTION: What are some places in your life where you could stand to be more honest or genuine? What are potential consequences for coming clean? Are you willing and able to face those consequences?