SCRIPTURE - James 3:13-18

“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.”

I suspect all of us desire to be men or women who are wise. But what is wisdom from God’s point of view? Certainly it is the ability to make decisions that are in line with God’s teaching and will. We learn this in Proverbs. But James brings wisdom down to a very practical level by teaching us that our very lives and attitudes exhibit one of two kinds of wisdom. 

The first type of wisdom is from the world. “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.”

Wisdom, says James, starts in our hearts. If my heart is filled with pride, envy of others or selfish ambition, any wisdom I have is unspiritual, because out of such attitudes comes disorder and evil practices. In God’s eyes, we cannot be people of wisdom without transformed hearts, because it is from our hearts that all of our actions flow. In fact, my actions display the kind of wisdom I have.

Thus James says that, “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.” These attitudes and actions come from a transformed heart and these are the people who God would call wise. They possess wisdom from above because these actions and attitudes reflect God’s character.

There are two kinds of wisdom in this world: Earthly wisdom and wisdom from above. If we want to be wise in God’s eyes, we will cooperate with God’s Spirit to see our hearts, motives, and actions transformed so that they reflect His character. We will work to live in humility, banish ambition that is selfish, be people of peace who love to make peace and live in personal purity. As we do this, our lives will start to overflow with wisdom from above. It will be evident in our relationships, attitudes and actions.

Father, would You remind me today that Your wisdom comes from a heart that is transformed by You. I confess that what I have often called wisdom is not, because it came from an impure heart. Help me to increasingly reflect wisdom that comes from above, rather than worldly wisdom. Amen.