James 3:13-16 Amplified Bible
Wisdom from Above
13 Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him by his good conduct show his [good] deeds with the gentleness and humility of true wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant, and [as a result] be in defiance of the truth. 15 This [superficial] wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly (secular), natural (unspiritual), and even demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
From the Manger to the Cross: Live Well, Live Wisely or ….
According to 1 Kings 3 in the Bible, King Solomon was told by God that he could ask for anything he wanted, blank check signed by God, and he would receive it.
Instead of asking for a long life, riches, popularity, or power, Solomon asked for wisdom. He understood that the “wisdom that comes from heaven” is the one thing we need more than anything else if we are to be what God wants us to be.
According to our reading in James for today, wisdom is not some intellectual gift that makes us intelligent.
True wisdom does not come from an high I.Q. or from high scores on college entrance exams.
It’s easy to confuse wisdom and intelligence.
If someone has all the right answers and too an encyclopedic knowledge of seemingly every subject, and particularly of Bible verses, we may be big time prone to automatically assume that they are wise—and they very well could be.
But equally, they may well not be, for raw intellectual ability and the capacity to retain such a vast magnitude of facts doesn’t necessarily equate with wisdom.
In his epistle, James links wisdom not with knowledge but with good conduct and meekness.
The one who is wise in God’s sight acts in a way that accords with the humility (Philippians 2:3-4), gentleness (Ephesians 4:2), and joy (1 Thessalonians 5:16) that God asks of His people.
God, who needs no counselor (Romans 11:34), doesn’t need us either to impress Him with what we know.
God tells us what draws His appreciative gaze is the man or woman, girl, boy, who is “humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).
James has a memorable phrase for this approach to ourselves and to life: “the meekness of wisdom.”
A genuinely wise person knows how much they don’t know.
They know that however much they know, it’s only a tiny portion of the total vastness of the knowledge that God has.
Intelligence marked by wisdom will not become polluted by showy displays of verbosity or railroad others with intellectual vigor.
Instead, it will be marked by a humility that always aims to build others up with whatever we have—being physical, intellectual, spiritual, emotional strength.
Wisdom echoes the prophet Isaiah, who acknowledged, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary” (Isaiah 50:4).
The truly wise maintain a high view of God, a sober view of themselves, and a generous view of other people.
How do I know if I have a high view of God?
If I am constantly aware of just how much I depend on Him for everything.
How will I know if I have a sober view of myself?
I am aware of my own shortcomings and understand all I have is only what I have received from God—if I am in the habit of pointing away from myself instead of toward myself.
How do I know if I have a generous view of other people?
If I am routinely building them up instead of cutting them down.
This is the sort of wisdom which pleases God, which the world so desperately needs from us—a gentle wisdom demonstrating itself in good conduct and in consistent meekness.
How does this challenge you?
How will you pursue living with this true wisdom today?
True wisdom is a gift from God, given to help us live life as God expects us to.
It is the kind of wisdom which literally affects every area of our everyday lives.
Says James, “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
This is the wisdom each one of us needs. Putting our faith into practice, hearing God’s Word and doing it, beginning with asking God for his wisdom (James 1:5).
Without it, we cannot be what God wants us to be.
Ask God today and every day to fill you with his wisdom.
Pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit to help you experience “the wisdom that comes from heaven.”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
Praying ….
Description of a Citizen of Zion.
A Psalm of David.
15 O Lord, who may lodge [as a guest] in Your tent?
Who may dwell [continually] on Your holy hill?
2
He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness,
And speaks and holds truth in his heart.
3
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4
In his eyes an evil person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord [and obediently worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].
He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit];
5
He does not put out his money at interest [to a fellow Israelite],
And does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 