James 3:13-18

There are many people today that would consider themselves wise. The problem with this assumption is that the worldly view of wisdom contrasts with the Biblical view. Often times, worldly wisdom is saturated with pride and selfishness, and many times the person will have no problem telling others just how wise they are. The world often confuses knowledge with wisdom, which is an incorrect idea. Wisdom is not how much you know, rather it is how you use what you know.

As we start looking to the Bible, we start seeing wisdom in a whole new light. In the third chapter of James, wisdom is described as pure, peace loving, gentle and willing to yield to others. It sounds like James is trying to get the point across that wisdom should come with humility. As a matter of fact, he even states in the 15th verse that jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. These qualities are earthly, nonspiritual and demonic. If we seek this earthy wisdom, it will likely lead us to wrong desires. Our society puts so much pressure on us to keep up, set high goals, and to obtain as many material possessions as we can. If we follow this advice, it can lead us into sins such as vanity and greed. However, seeking God's wisdom will deliver us from this need to compare our lives with the lives of others.

True wisdom can be observed through character. James 3:13 says that “if a person is wise and understands God’s ways,” they will “prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” Jesus once said that you can judge a tree by the fruit it bares. A good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree produces bad fruit. By this token, you can tell if a person is truly wise by the fruit they produce.

So where can Godly wisdom be acquired? Job 28:13 says “no one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living.” Later in the same chapter is written,“it is hidden from the eyes of all humanity” and that “God alone understands the way to wisdom.” Wisdom is only found in God.
We can try and try to find it in ourselves but our quest will always come up short. True wisdom is not possible to achieve without His hand upon us.

My prayer now is that our eyes are opened to what true wisdom really is and where it is found, only in God our Father. Trusting in Him is truly the only way to obtain wisdom. Wisdom found through other ways is merely vanity.

*Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.*
-Colossians 3:16

Joshua A. Davis