The letter of James is about wisdom and understanding.
It’s also about the kind of People God wants us to be.
- First, God wants us to be a People who act upon on God’s Word.
- Second, God wants us to be a People of faith and works.
- Third, God wants us to be a People with a spoken Blessing.
Based on James 3 and 4, God wants us to be a People with God’s Wisdom. And, that’s what we’re talking about in this article.
There are two ways to show God’s wisdom
We show God’s wisdom through our conduct. The way we behave and conduct ourselves on a daily basis is the only tool we have to show God’s wisdom.
We show God’s wisdom through humility. A wise person is humble. It’s only in humility that we can learn and gain more understanding.
Read James 3: 13.
Two types of wisdom
James talks about two kinds of wisdom.
Earthly, unspiritual and demonic wisdom
This first type of wisdom, James thinks God doesn’t want us to have is characterized with the following:
- Bitter jealousy.
- Selfish ambition.
- Boastful.
- False to the truth. Read James 3: 15-16.
This kind of wisdom is at the root of disorder, lack of harmony and every other evil.
Wisdom from above
This second type of wisdom, James things God wants us to have has the following characteristics:
- It’s peaceable.
- It’s gentle.
- It’s open to reason.
- It’s full of mercy.
- It bears good fruits.
- It’s impartial and sincere. Read James 3: 17-18.
Two other things you should know about God’s wisdom:
- Wisdom from above helps us receive good things from God, the Father.
- Wisdom from above makes you humble.
- Wisdom from above helps you conquer the devil. Read James 4: 7.
God’s wisdom gives you all what it takes to be a conqueror through faith in Christ. You submit to God. You resist all kinds of evil, and, as a result, the devil flees from from you. Read James 4: 7.
How do you gain God’s wisdom in life?
It’s simple, according to James.
Read James 4: 8-10.
Three steps to take:
- Draw near to God.
- Repent from your sinful way of life.
- Humble yourself before God.
James claims that when we draw near to God, God also draws near to us. This step can’t be done on its own. It requires repentance and the choice to humble yourself under God’s might hands.
Drawing near to God allows you to learn more about God. As you learn more about God, you also learn about yourself. The more you know about yourself, the better you are in loving and serving others.
That is God’s wisdom. It begins with God who enables you to discover more about who God has called you to be. God’s wisdom finally empowers you to love and serve others God’s way.
In summary
God’s wisdom doesn’t come out of what you think you know about God from reading or listening to other people. Wisdom from above doesn’t derive from any human. God gives it to you. You only gain more of it when you choose to draw near to God through prayer and listening to God. That’s where God’s wisdom begins: prayer and connecting to God through Jesus Christ.
