Chaos
For God is not the author of CONFUSION but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. – 1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 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 3:13-18 NKJV.
Workers from two construction companies competing for a construction job in China engaged in a demolition derby against each other. Several bulldozers rammed into each other, one was knocked over, with the operator running for safety, and then other workers with a different machine attempted to upright it. Meanwhile, passenger cars fled this way and that, trying to move out of the way of the dueling behemoths. The chaos was brought on by the intense competition for construction work since the real estate construction sector is down two-thirds from a year ago. The investigation into the incident has not been completed with details about arrests and injuries still unavailable. (Yahoo News 04.18.16)
Dictionary dot com defines Chaos as: “a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.” The demolition derby scene that occurred in China is a picture of total confusion, disorder and chaos. It was brought about by “self-seeking.” Neither side in the battle cared about the other side. There was no attempt to negotiate some type of shared work on the construction project. It was either all, or nothing. If the two owners of the construction companies had contacted each other, and met together; maybe it would have been possible for each company to have some work.
Envy and self-seeking creates what? It creates confusion, disorder, and chaos. The more there is of envy and self-seeking, the greater the confusion, disorder, and chaos. However, it is worse than that as we are told in James 3:16, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” “Every evil thing,” that takes in a whole lot of territory, and there is nothing good in any of it.
The cure for envy and self-seeking is this: instead of putting yourself first, put God first. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… (Matthew 6:33).” Instead of demanding your way, your rights, be a peacemaker. We are told in James 3:18, “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” Seek the wisdom from above, which only God can give. His wisdom will make you “…peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17b).”