“Willing to yield” is the phrase that stood out to me meditating on this verse today. Many versions say “reasonable” or “open to reason” but if you look that word up in the original Greek text, you’ll find those phrases don’t encompass that word’s intent very well. “Willing to yield, comply, obey, and easy to be entreated” are much better representations of what this word actually means, and much closer to what James actually meant when he penned these words. So, as we read this simple little verse, first of all – do you want wisdom from above? We are told numerous times above all, wisdom BEGINS with Fearing Yehovah. And what does it look like when that kind of wisdom is lived-out practically in our day to day lives?
Am I fearing Yehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob?
Am I pure/clean?
Am I gentle?
Am I ready to obey? Compliant with God? Do I easily obey Him or do I resist the things He has
commanded for any reason at all? Is it easy for Him to entreat me? Can the Lord God ask me
to do anything He wills easily? Or do His words fall upon non-compliant, deaf ears?
Am I full of mercy, compassion and good fruits?
Am I impartial?
Am I sincere?
If our answer is honestly “no” to any of these things, there is one appropriate response, REPENT, it means to turn back to God’s way, back to the narrow path, the ancient path that He carved out for us to walk.