But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:3-5) For those of us who are older, or have been attending church longer, we tend to read the first sentence and agree. Yes, those are standard “big sins” that should be avoided. We may not have as much against them personally as we might, but they’re the traditional things to avoid. But then the passage says “Nor should there be…” and things get a little more difficult. No obscenity? No foolish talk? No...
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13) Wisdom and understanding don’t really happen without activity. You do something stupid, fall, and hurt yourself and if you gain wisdom, you understand that you shouldn’t do that stupid thing. You might learn the same by watching someone else go through the process, but too often, we take their failure as a challenge. “They did it wrong, we will do it right/better . ” If we are wise, we should show it, not by impressing others with our wisdom, but by doing what is right. Doing something stupid or wrong doesn’t help you or anyone else. Perhaps more importantly, according to James, wi...