James 3:13-18 NLT
[13] If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. [14] But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. [15] For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. [16] For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. [17] But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. [18] And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
Good Morning!
I’d like to review in a little more depth these 6 simple verses about the wisdom that comes from God as there are a lot of “gold nuggets” here.
Verse 13 – If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
If we call ourselves a follower of Christ, it means that we have an understanding and hope of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us and understand God’s plan of salvation for all of mankind. We’ll never fully know or understand all of God’s ways but we know what He has told us through His word and are accountable for all that He has revealed to us. By continually reading and studying His word, our spiritual selves grow daily, walking in His ways, being humble, wise and sincere in our faith to Him and showing our love to others by doing good works and being a peacemaker. Jesus was the ultimate example of true wisdom and we should study His life to learn more from Him. Through His word, He will teach you how to be wise, humble and gentle.
Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT
[29] “The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.
Matthew 11:29 NLT
[29] Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Verse 14 – But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.
If we are living for what the world has to offer and not being honorable to God’s word, we naturally become selfish and bitterly jealous of what others have. In the techno era that we live in, social media just magnifies this, showing little bits and pieces of people’s lives and not the true picture. When we focus on the things from above and where our final destination will be, all of the world’s promises become empty and unfulfilled. Wanting more and more of what the world has to offer only leads to a path of dangerous deception and false hopes. There is no way to fill the void in our lives with the stuff that this world offers. The only way to fill the Jesus size hole in our hearts, is by accepting Him as Lord and Savior and living a life that is acceptable and good to Him.
Micah 6:8 NKJV
[8] He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Verse 15 – For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
When we allow ourselves to be drawn into wrong desires and the pressures of this world, it is easy to become jealous of others and selfish. God doesn’t want us to live by these standards. He calls these things EARTHLY, UNSPIRITUAL and DEMONIC.
There is a fine line in setting high goals for ourselves to achieve success, and being drawn into greed and destructive competitiveness. When we seek God’s wisdom and not worldly wisdom, there is no need for us to compare ourselves to others and want what they have. Being content with what God has provided for us is of itself great wealth. We brought nothing into this world and we can’t take anything with us when we leave. But we can build our treasures in heaven.
Proverbs 27:20 NLT
[20] Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
Habakkuk 2:5 NLT
[5] Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples.
1 Timothy 6:6-8 NLT
[6] Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. [7] After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. [8] So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
Matthew 6:20 NLT
[20] Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
Verse 16 – For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
When we seek the wisdom of the world or try to be wise by our own standards, we reject the holy wisdom of God’s word. This causes disorder and confusion and yields “evil of every kind.” God wants our hearts to be of purity and seeking His wisdom. If we simply pray and seek God’s will and His wisdom, he will grant it to us! (Read Proverbs 2).
1 Corinthians 3:3 NLT
[3] for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
[19] When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Proverbs 2:6 NLT
[6] For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Verse 17 – But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
The wisdom from above is the prize we should seek after. With such wisdom, we shall live a peaceful life, absent from conflict and strife and full of sincerity, mercy and good deeds.
“True wisdom is gentle. It is forbearing, not overbearing; courteous, not crude. A wise man is a gentleman, respectful of the feelings of others. Says A. B. Simpson, “The rude, sarcastic manner, the sharp retort, the unkind cut-all these have nothing whatever in common with the gentle teaching of the Comforter.”
Excerpt from Thomas Nelson Believer’s Bible Commentary
Verse 18 – And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
Just as a farmer plants good seeds, he will reap a harvest of good fruit, we are bound to the Biblical principal of reaping what you sow. If we want to live a life of peace, then we have to plant seeds of goodness, peace and love into others’ lives. Then we will reap a harvest of righteousness.
We cannot harvest peace in an atmosphere of quarrels. Peace must be made first with God and then to others, then we will reap a harvest that is of good fruit in our lives.
Galatians 6:7-8 NKJV
[7] Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. [8] For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Let us all seek the true wisdom that comes from above!
I love you and am praying for you today!
Dad