Wisdom From Above
Wisdom
From Above
Have you ever asked God for wisdom in decision making?
He promises to give it doesn't he? (James 1:5.)
But, how do you know when you've gotten wisdom?
James 3:13-18 is about godly wisdom, kind of like 1 Corinthians 13 is for love. [You might need a Bible now]. We're only going to look at the first two verses: 13-14.
vs. 13 - Immediately we read that wisdom is known by what it produces in a person. Namely good conduct revealing works in the meekness of wisdom. Godly wisdom gives off no whiff of pride.
vs. 14 - In contrast (But), wisdom is centered on the heart. James gives us the conditional statement, if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts. Bitter jealousy could also be described as great negative emotion that is driven by bitterness. And selfish ambition is just that, a bent or pursuit of one's own interest above that of anyone else. The completion of James' condition resolves with [then] do not boast. A great visual for this is like a gladiator triumphing over his defeated opponent as the crowd cheers. If our decisions work out in our favor and out of our hearts come a sense of self-promotion, or dominance over another, then we have not experienced godly wisdom. We will have been false to the truth.
Every time we approach another Members Meeting I ask for prayer that our church members would have wisdom in how they discuss and propose ideas and solutions. You probably pray for wisdom when facing decisions whether they are daily decisions or potentially life-changing decisions. In just these two verses we see that godly wisdom is a self-forgetting wisdom.
James is thin on explicit gospel articulation, but it isn't hard to see it when you've spent time with his brother, Jesus. Jesus showed him and us the epitome of godly wisdom in self-forgetfulness. He willed himself to yield to the Father's will and surrendered his life on the cross to work salvation. This selfless act of the will exhibited the greatest meekness and brought the greatest glory to the Father.
I pray that you will receive godly wisdom for your decisions this week. Rather than asking God what is best for you in your decisions, I pray you will ask what is best for his glory. This is a prayer he will answer, though it may mean a painful journey ahead, he will be greatly glorified and you will surely be satisfied with a harvest of righteousness (vs. 18).
May the Lord make us wise for his glory in his church,
Loren