James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Imagine planting a seed, then caring for it, watering it, and waiting in anticipation until it grows up and bears fruit.  You invest a lot of energy in that seed, hoping for a positive outcome, letting it consume a lot of your time and energy.  It matters what that seed is, doesn't it?  You should choose wisely, because it will some day be much bigger than it is now.
  In the same way, we should choose wisely our sources of wisdom.  If we choose to follow God and invest ourselves in his Word, we are planting a seed within us that, if nurtured, will grow and guide our lives.  Our entire lives will be wiser by choosing to invest in caring for this source of wisdom.
  If, however, we choose to listen to the voices of the world, the pressures of mainstream culture, or if we don't choose and just drift along, letting the currents of society push us to and fro, we're nurturing a different kind of seed.  This will still grow, and we'll still rely on it for guidance, but just like a tree rotting from the inside out, we won't realize how weak it is until a storm comes and we discover that we have invested ourselves in a plant that is not strong enough to bear our weight.
  Let us intentionally choose, each and every day, to invest in God's wisdom, following his Word and seeking the abundant life in Christ that he promises.