James 3:14

But if you only think about things that are good for yourself, and if you are jealous of other people, and if you hate other people, you are not thinking God’s way. That’s the devil’s way. He is the boss over the bad spirits. You can’t hide the way you think by telling lies about it, and by saying that you are really good.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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

In Context

13Do you reckon that you can think properly, and do you reckon that you know if something is right or wrong? If you do, you have to show everybody that you think properly by quietly doing good things for other people. If you do those good things, and if you don’t tell anybody about it, you are thinking properly.

Read all of James 3

Cross References

Genesis 37:11Joseph’s brothers were really angry with him about those dreams, and they hated him even more. But Joseph’s father kept on thinking about those things that Joseph said.

John 16:2After I go away, the Jewish leaders will not let you into their meeting houses to pray to God with them. And a time is coming when people will kill you, and they will think that God wants them to do that.

Matthew Henry on James 3:14-18

Properties of Wisdom. ( a. d. 61.) 13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show 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… Read the whole commentary →

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