Wisdom?

Good Morning,

James 3:13-18 (NIV)
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
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. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Most of us, for almost all of our lives, have been counseled to seek out someone who has wisdom to help give us some guidance and direction, especially in our walk with God. One of the questions that many of us have had after receiving this excellent suggestion is, "How do I find a "wise" person? How will I know that this person, truly, has the wisdom I seek to help me?" Today, in the Book of James, we find the answer to those questions.

When we seek out someone with wisdom, we need to look for what James tells us will point out such a wise person. He says that a wise person will "show it by his (her) good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." This, truly, does show who is wise among us. Too often we see people who proclaim their "wisdom" but their lives show the other aspects that James talks about, "...bitter envy and selfish ambition..." Now, these people may have been successful in what they have done in the world. We too often mistake success in worldly, business, or financial matters with wisdom, you see. James tells us that much of this type of "wisdom" can be, as James points out, "...earthly, unspiritual, of the devil."

The people with true wisdom that we need will show "the wisdom that comes from heaven" by their lives which will be, "...first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." These are the kinds of people we need to give us the help necessary in our own search for wisdom.

Now, of course, we can look inwardly to see which of these attributes we have in our own lives. Do we think ourselves as wise? Of truly having wisdom? Then look at what is written and do a sort of "check list" of what a wise person looks like.

Do I live a good life?
Are the things I do truly done in humility?
Am I pure?
Am I a peace loving person?
Am I considerate of others...ALL others?
Am I submissive as I ought to be, as Jesus taught?
Do I have real mercy toward people?
Are the fruit of the Holy Spirit visible in my life?
Am I impartial?
Am I sincere?

Okay. None of us will score 100% on this, I know. But, if we can go over this list of characteristics and find that we are at least somewhat leaning toward each of them, then I would say that we are approaching wisdom. A tough test, isn't it? And, I don't think that any of us will ever achieve perfection in this. However, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive to be all of these traits in our lives. I think it is the striving toward these virtues that shows a person has wisdom. It surely shows that one wants to be favored by God and, thus, helped by Him in his or her Christian walk.

Wise and understanding? Maybe not completely. But, let's not allow our failures and imperfections in this to stop us from continuing to seek real wisdom and true understanding in our lives.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David