Authentic Wisdom
Read the Text: James 3
Memorize the Text:
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:1-2, CSB)
Consider the Text: James 3:13-18
An authentic faith desires to live in the wisdom of God as the guide and foundation of life. True faith recognizes the danger and folly of worldly wisdom and how such a mentality leads one away from the Lord. In the Old Testament, Solomon declared that genuine wisdom needs to be sought from the Lord. Likewise, in the New Testament, James declares that people living in genuine faith need to seek authentic wisdom from the Lord. The ability to live in such wisdom guards against the world's wisdom promotes seeking wisdom from the Lord, and demonstrates a life of godly wisdom.
GUARD AGAINST WORLDLY WISDOM
The foundation of worldly wisdom is the flesh. This fleshly foundation forms wisdom that extends from roots, including mentalities such as bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. The fleshly base of such wisdom creates a dynamic where self-glorification and self-gratification influence wisdom. Thus, believers need to analyze and assess the foundation of their gaining of wisdom.
The fleshly root of earthly wisdom forms a knowledge characterized by boastfulness, dishonesty, and worldly. These activities flow from the self-centric mentality and persuade individuals to seek after the things of this world to find identity and purpose. Thus, people begin to trust what feels right and seems natural instead of relying upon the Lord because they allow darkness to drive them instead of truth. As a result, believers need to check their lives to ensure that they live driven by truth and light and not the flesh and darkness.
Living under the influence of worldly wisdom leads to disorder and vile practice. When disorder exists, life exists in chaos and confusion, where clarity and stability cease to exist. Such a state opens the door for hatred, resentment, and pettiness to rule one's life and cause discontentment and anger. Thus, the believer must guard their life against entering such a state.
THE FRUIT OF WISDOM FROM ABOVE
The opposite of worldly wisdom is wisdom from above. The above wisdom rests on the Lord's foundation and seeks to live out a life of goodness and gentleness. The idea of good indicates a life living under the moral expectations of the Lord found in the revealed Word. The concept of gentleness means that one engages others in the confidence and strength of the Lord. Thus, they approach others in a mentality of truth and love.
The wisdom from above opposes the wisdom of the world. The character of the wisdom from above includes traits like purity, peace, mercy, and impartiality. These markers occur only because of the work of the Lord in one's life. The concept of each of these characteristics comes as the activities of one's life mirror these traits because of the state of the inner being that rest in the Lord. Thus, the believer needs to analyze the motivations and actions of life to check their resting on Christ as their foundation for wisdom.
When the wisdom from above guides life, the believer lives a life of righteousness and peace. This life occurs because the believer is under the leadership of the Lord, and they allow the Lord to transform them into his will and ways. Thus, the wisdom from above becomes available to the believer as the Holy Spirit guides, directs, and challenges. Therefore, the ways of the believer differ from the expectations of the world, and the believer seeks to live in peace, not division. Thus, the believer's life differs from the life of one under the influence of the world's wisdom.
THE IMPACT OF AUTHENTIC WISDOM
When believers live in authentic wisdom from above, they can live a life that reflects the Word of God. The believer knows that the Word of God reveals God's truth for humanity. It provides the knowledge needed to become reconciled with God and to live in harmony with one another. The Word of God becomes the primary source to test and prove the wisdom that flows down from above. Are you testing the wisdom you possess against God's Word to analyze whether it is authentic or pseudo wisdom?
Authentic wisdom opens the ability for the believer to understand and obey the will of the Lord. When one lives in godly wisdom, they seek to know the Lord more intimately, and as a result, they develop the needed skills to discern the will of the Lord and overcome the temptations of the world's ideas. When discernment flows from a proper foundation of wisdom, the believer can navigate the many voices they hear and discern the will of the Lord. How is your ability to discern the Lord's will for your life?
Authentic wisdom empowers believers to live according to God's ways. This truth means that believers live a life that adheres to the expectations of the Lord. The impact of truth serves as the foundation that guides the interactions with others and the actions of one's life. They live in a manner that reflects truth and acknowledges the lordship of Christ. As a result, the life that reflects the way of the Lord exists as an opposite to the ways of the world. When you analyze your activities in life, do they look more like the world or more like Christ?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
