James 3:13-17 (NKJV) 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 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.
As we continue in the year that is like no other in my 66 years, I look to the Word of God for comfort, guidance and direction. The element of our relationship with God that is the manifestation of all those things is wisdom. We have seen Solomon as a young man go to God and ask for wisdom. He did not ask for wealth, victory over his enemies nor the consolidation of his power. He understood that he did not know how to do what God was asking of him. That is the first key to walking in God’s wisdom. If we think we know, we will never ask.
One problem today is that the people of God depend too much on the wisdom of the world. James makes it clear that this wisdom will never produce the will of God. The world knows that wisdom is necessary, but the wisdom they seek is flawed because it tries to remove God from the equation. True wisdom can never be found if he who is wisdom is removed. Look at what the word of God says.
Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV) 10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 15:33 (NKJV) 33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NKJV) 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
These are just a few of many scriptures that point to the need for a relationship with God if we are going to walk in true wisdom. Any so-called wisdom that removes God from the equation will not produce the results we want or need. It is understandable for the world to think God unnecessary and call Godlessness wisdom, it is unacceptable and foolish for a Christian. We have something so much better.
How do I recognize ungodly wisdom? I believe James gives us a clear picture. First James says if anyone thinks he is wise let his actions reflect “the meekness of wisdom. The synonyms for meekness include humility, gentleness, and mildness. If what you see does not reflect those qualities, it is not Godly wisdom. James goes on to say that if bitter envy and self-seeking are in a person’s heart, they are deceived. They are not walking in true wisdom.
Finally, James says that this kind of wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly, sensual and devilish. We can identify such wisdom because it will produce confusion not clarity nor insight. It will result in many evil works (KJV.) So how do we recognize Godly wisdom? I cannot think of a better way than to requote James 3:17.
James 3:17 (NKJV) 17 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.
It is first pure. The only agenda for Godly wisdom is to promote the Kingdom of God which brings the best for all people. This wisdom is peaceable or peace producing. One of the first results in a person’s life who accepts God’s wisdom above all others will be peace. Those who, when confronted with Godly wisdom, rant and rave and attack are operating in the wisdom that does not come from above.
Godly wisdom manifests through people in peacefulness and gentleness. Though God will never change, those who are moving in his wisdom are willing to yield if they see that they have been mistaken. They are filled with mercy and good fruits. This wisdom is without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Anything no matter how influential or learned that puts forth something that does not conform to the description of Godly wisdom should be rejected as wisdom. We should consider their arguments but filter them through Godly wisdom. Many times, people are ignorant or angry. We must be willing to understand them when possible, but we must not give in to ungodly wisdom. We must stand in the qualities quoted from James and know that God will make the difference.
As we read James 3, the demarcation between earthly wisdom and Godly wisdom seems very clear to me. However, we must be careful. Deception is the most powerful tool of the devil. He is very good at making ungodly wisdom look good and logical. We must learn to be discerning. God will help us. I think the key is to apply the filter of how James describes Godly wisdom to what we hear and see. We must not be gullible when we look at the media and especially social media. Remember that social media is full of people talking about things of which they know nothing. They crusade by reposting or parroting what is trending.
Is what you are seeing and hearing pure in motive and expression? Is it producing peace? Is the expression of this “wisdom” marked by gentleness? Is it without partiality? Is the expression of wisdom without hypocrisy. We must ask God to help us understand what is truth and what is not.
The wisdom of God flows from the love of God. The highest expression of this wisdom was the sending of his Son, Jesus. There were times where Jesus was angry in his expression of God’s wisdom while he was here. It was always toward those who put burdens on others they did not carry themselves. Nevertheless, the highest expression of God’s wisdom in his life was to give himself for all.
The problem in our world today is not a problem of disease, economy, education or even race. There are problems in all those areas. However, the real problem is a problem of the heart. When men meet Jesus as their Lord and savior, they become different inwardly (2 Corinthians 5:17-21.) As they renew their mind through the study and meditation of the Word of God as led by the Spirit of God, they begin to think like God thinks. They begin to see people as God sees them. They begin to respond as Jesus would respond. Next time I want to talk about the highest manifestation possible. This wisdom changed the whole world. The devil has no defense against this wisdom. You can read about it in Matthew 5:38-48.
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