13Who is wise and understanding among
you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes
from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in
your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such
“wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the
devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you
find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the
wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peaceloving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers
who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
A man once told me that he was the
family patriarch of his clan. Others
older than him had passed on. Therefore
he was the oldest surviving member of his family, making him the family patriarch. He went on to say that because he was the
oldest one left that age brings wisdom.
Therefore the family needed to realize that he was the wisest due to age
and so they were to honor whatever he said.
Now I had a little fun with the guy at the time simply because being
older doesn’t always guarantee wisdom.
We are to respect our elders and I don’t have an issue with that. But if we assume that age always results in
wisdom than, quite frankly, we would only be fooling ourselves. Age does bring wisdom but that is no
guarantee as it depends on what a person does with what he or she is given as
to the results. Many are wise in their own eyes but quite ignorant as to the
more important issues of life, especially in spiritual and eternal issues.
So let’s consider what constitutes a
true “wise guy.” “13Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the
humility that comes from wisdom.”
Another guy once told me how his own
wisdom had resulted in the accumulation of wealth and property. He took me on a tour of his estate,
obviously very proud of it. But yet he
was openly spiritually bankrupt. His
wife was a dedicated Christian but he was rather profane and proudly professed
nothing spiritually. I mentioned that
he had a lot to be thankful for. He quickly became irritated, staying that
the Lord or no one else ever gave him anything. He’d have me know that he’d earned it all himself. I simply said, “My friend, let me tell you
something. It is only by the grace of
the Lord and what He allows that we have anything. All good things come from the Lord. But just as the Lord blesses, He can also quickly take it back at
any time, and you could find yourself with nothing. Don’t ever forget that.”
Just because one may appear wise in his own eyes, doesn’t mean that it’s
true. Outward possessions or seemingly
favorable circumstances in one’s life do not necessarily indicate true wisdom.
I. So, once again, James states, “13Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the
humility that comes from wisdom.” Don’t tell me, show
me! Just do it! True wisdom shows up in the fruits of one’s
lifestyle. [So does lack of true
wisdom.] True wisdom shows up in one’s
actions. True wisdom shows up in how
one conducts him or her self in daily action and inter-action with fellow
beings on planet earth.
This wisdom comes from above.
And it is given to us in God’s Word.
In Proverbs, chapter one, we read, “1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young-
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance-
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge,
but fools [a] despise
wisdom and discipline.”
It comes from a deep-seated reverence
and respect for the Lord as we seek His best for each of us and as we seek
wisdom for what His best is for us and those around us.
Solomon
realized his total need to lean on the Lord for wisdom. He felt the weight of the awesome
responsibilities that went with his office and knew that he would be in trouble
if left on his own. So, in 1 Kings,
chapter three [3], we read, 7
"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father
David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.
8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great
people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a
discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and
wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11
So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life
or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for
discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have
asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never
have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I
will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor-so that in your
lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in
my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give
you a long life."
Solomon
didn’t ask for riches or glory. He
asked for a discerning heart so as to properly distinguish between right and
wrong.. He knew that he needed wisdom
from above to carry out his duties. The
Lord was please that such a one as Solomon came to him requesting wisdom, as
such. So not only did the Lord God
grant his request, enabling him with a special wisdom that could only come from
above; He also gave him riches, possessions, glory and honor that Solomon did not
request! Why? He did so because he knew that the intentions of Solomon’s heart
were very sincere and honest. Solomon’s
requests were for the good of those whom he was given to govern. So we see that God was greatly pleased and
blessed Solomon far beyond any expectations.
In fact, Solomon’s wisdom would be unsurpassed.
So,
when you and I make our requests before God, our heart’s motives are very
important? Are we asking for the right
reasons? Are we asking
unselfishly? This is in line with James
admonition regarding what is seen as true wisdom as one seeks to unselfishly
serve others. This is done out of a
love for the Lord and concern for His people.
Questions
For Reflection and Direction:
1.
How do
we know a truly wise and understanding individual?
2.
Describe
the fruits of true wisdom.
II.
James goes on to warn, “14But
if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast
about it or deny the truth. 15Such “wisdom” does not come down from
heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you
have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice”.
This
describes those who may be wise in their own eyes and may even fool others
around them but in the long run, such ones are spiritually bankrupt. Such ones hearts are not where they ought to
be. The Bible shows such worldly wisdom
to be “earthly, unspiritual,
of the devil.” Earthly
here is as opposite to heavenly as one can get. There is no love for the Lord or desire to seek and serve
Him. Why? Because they are blinded by Satan and the sensual things of this
earth. So, as a result, these ones are
clearly unspiritual. The fruits of
such a lifestyle breed envy and deceit, along with the type of selfish ambition
that often brings tragic results.
Chuck
Smith points out, “The wisdom
of the world produces confusion, strife and evil works.” This is opposite the true biblical wisdom
that comes from God.
Questions
For Reflection and Direction:
3.
Describe
the danger signs that show lack of true wisdom?
4.
What is
the source of earthly wisdom?
5.
What
type of fruit does it produce?
III. 17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;
then peaceloving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a
harvest of righteousness.
Chuck Smith relates, “The wisdom of God produces peace,
harmony, and good works.” It all starts
with heart purity. Note the progression
listed here: Heavenly wisdom is “first of all pure; then peaceloving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and
sincere.” A pure heart is a loving and caring
heart.
In
Psalm 19:8, the Bible says, “8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Heart purity is learned from God’s
Word and has precious results.
In
Psalm 19:14, we read, “ 14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” How does this come to
pass? By meditating on God’s Word, the
Bible, and those things that are pure, holy, righteous, leading to holiness of
heart and lifestyle. This is the true
source of the pathway that leads to wisdom.
This is the pathway to true loving, caring, sharing and reaching out to
those in need all around us, as we make a heart-changing, life-saving impact on
those around us.
So
if you and I want to live the life of truly wise individuals, then we need to
align ourselves daily with the precious truths of God’s Word. As such, we need to do more than merely read
and observe. We need to put it into
practice, day by day. We need to not
only know it, but we need to do it. As
we do so, the Holy Spirit teaches, guides, directs and empowers us for
effective life and service, giving us the peace and joy that it takes to be
effectively victorious in our own hearts and lives, as well as fruitful in
reaching out to others!
Questions
For Reflection and Direction:
6.
Describe
the fruits of heavenly wisdom.
7.
Peacemakers
produce what?
As
we pray today:
[1]
What does the Bible teach regarding wisdom that speaks to your heart?
[2]
What can you do to enable yourself to grow in Biblical wisdom?
[3].
How is this imparted on those around us?
Please note:
You are welcome to share this Bible study in your local churches, but I suggest that you personalize it. You do not have permission to publicize it or to make money from it in any form. May God richly bless you as you minister for Him with rich spiritual rewards of seeing many souls saved and sanctified for all eternity! Please let me know whatever helpful results you may get from this!
With Warm Sincerity in Jesus’ Love,
Rev. Don Schink, Pastor-Evangelist
Sonlight Ministries
Tijeras, NM
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