http://bible.com/events/48825642
James and True Wisdom
The wisdom of God is just as much about who we are to be than what we are to do.
A review of last week’s focus on false wisdom:
1. God is the only source of true wisdom.
2. If you hold on to your wisdom, God can’t give you His.
3. Worldy wisdom is always hostile to God.
James 3:13-18
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. 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, demonic. 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 reap a harvest of righteousness.
There is a kind of scorecard implied in the text. How are you doing?
Pure? Peace-loving? Considerate? Submissive? Full of mercy? Impartial? Sincere?
How do we grow in this True Wisdom?
-“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18)
-Living wisely (in true wisdom), produces fruit in us!
-And ultimately, this fruit that is being produced is a pathway to something remarkable.
James 3:17-18
Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
The bottom line:
The wisdom of God is just as much about who we are to be than what we are to do.
Other verses for further study/reflection:
Matthew 5:3-9
Psalm 111:10
Proverbs 3:13-18
Proverbs 1:7
Ephesians 5:15-17
Proverbs 12:15
Proverbs 10:23
Proverbs 2:6
James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY