Friday, January 7, 2011

God's Wisdom

How can you tell if a man is truly gaining the wisdom of God, versus the wisdom of the world? I think there are a few clues in the following scriptures in James:

Chapter 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
1) God's wisdom will be meek, not full of pride and boasting. It doesn't say "I'm smarter than you. I've studied and know more than you. Look at me- I deserve recognition for how much I know." God's wisdom will lead a man to do good rather than seek for praise and accolades.

3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

2) God's wisdom will NOT lead a man to envy others and to create contention and strife. That kind of "wisdom" is from the devil and it relies heavily upon what we can perceive with our bodies only and not our spirits. When we give in to our pride (which immediately separates us from God) we end up promoting contention, arguing, fighting, and treating others with contempt. It shows a serious lack of understanding of God's wisdom when we act that way. At the first sign of contention we need to realize that we are furthering an evil work, and not following God's design. We can't teach others through anger and strife- that only creates confusion.

3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

3) God's wisdom is pure, which means we need to go to the source to receive it untainted. We may have to study, pray, and listen hard to really understand it, because God doesn't rely on humans to explain His ways. We can know we are on the right path to gaining that wisdom when we find ourselves more inclined to be peaceable, gentle, merciful, wanting to serve others, not caring about the social status of others, and living what we believe rather than just preaching it.

3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
4) If we are filled with God's wisdom we will be serving in peace, not looking for reasons and ways to disagree, judge, and put others down; but searching instead for those things we can do to let God's love work through us to help others see His wisdom and desire it for themselves.

I think there are many people who are so caught up in always learning and seeking knowledge that they end up missing out on God's true wisdom. What good does it do if we learn everything there is to know about this world but never learn how to love others show them the way to Christ?

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