Lehman Strauss once wrote that “a vast difference exists between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God.”[1] When we talk about wisdom, it is good to remember that this is not the same thing as knowledge. Wisdom is knowledge that is put into practice in our daily lives. The book of James gives a good deal of instruction related to wisdom.
In James 3:17, having described a person with worldly wisdom, James provides eight characteristics of a person with heavenly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom is unique in that it comes “above” because its source is the Lord (see James 1:5). Below is an overview of James’ list.
1) Pure – free from defilement; clean
2) Peaceable – peacemaker (see Matthew 5:9); peace while keeping purity
3) Gentle – considerate of others; courteous
4) Reasonable – yielding
5) Full of mercy – sympathetic; compassionate
6) Good fruits – works; the fruit of salvation
7) Unwavering – balances the above; single-minded devotion to LORD; will not compromise the truth
8) Without hypocrisy – not double-minded; truthful
There are two types of wisdom, and we will follow only one of them. If we follow the wisdom from above, we will increasingly reflect the above characteristics in our daily lives. Which of the two are you reflecting?
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
[1] Lehman Strauss, “James Your Brother”, pg. 141.