WISDOM

Wisdom has always intrigued me. It seems you can acquire wisdom no matter how smart you are and since I’ve always known I wasn’t a “Rhoads Scholar” I figured wisdom was my chance to maximize what smarts I do have. 

I recently read these scriptures on wisdom and I thought I'd write down my thoughts (see my comments below).

Wisdom

James 3:13-17 (NIV)

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But 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.

V. 13 Wisdom in your life should be evidenced by: a good life, by humble good deeds.

V. 14 Bitter envy and selfish ambition kill the growth of wisdom. “Ambition” itself is not the problem, but selfish ambition which is another call to verse 13 asking for “deeds done in humility.” Don’t “deny the truth” of your bitter envy or your selfish ambition. We all tend to dismiss our own faults or emotions and justify them. Verse 14 is telling us that if we are selfishly ambitious, own up to it, change and turn your ambitions from "selfish" to an ambition "outside of yourself."

V. 15 This other wisdom is obviously not from heaven and not going to lead to the deeds creating the “good life” or “deeds done in humility” as mentioned in vs 13. How many times have we fooled ourselves into thinking we were using heavenly wisdom and we were actually relying on earthly wisdom of bitterness and selfish ambition from vs14. This other wisdom is pretty bad, “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Really “demonic” that’s some serious language, any imposter to heavenly wisdom is a serious problem!

V. 16 says it straight out--envy and selfish ambition equals disorder and evil practice. I can see these playing out in a person’s life. If they are harboring envy for someone it causes them to do things and practice things that they would never have otherwise done. It is played out on our news programs on a regular basis. 

V. 17 A great list of things that come from heavenly wisdom…peace-loving, considerate, submissive, mercy, good fruit, impartial and sincere but it all starts with heavenly wisdom being “pure.” Wisdom being pure? Wisdom that is undefiled and unpolluted from this world and even ourselves. The same type of wisdom that God called on when He created the foundations of the earth before we were even around. 

By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place (Proverbs 3:19)

Wisdom = good things for our lives.