Who doesn’t want to be a wise person? While the word itself might not appear in the most popular business and self-help books, it’s what most people are pursuing when they sit down to read an article about productivity or take a personality test. They want to know how to live an effective, well-lived life.
However, the world’s definition of wisdom doesn’t look a whole lot like God’s definition. The Apostle Paul goes so far as to tell the Corinthian church that this world’s wisdom is foolishness to God, and the world looks at godly wisdom and thinks it’s downright stupid.
What the world’s wisdom looks like
Worldly wisdom looks primarily like the ability to accomplish your goals in the time you want to, the emotional intelligence to get what you want out of your relationships, and probably become wealthy (or at least financially “free”) in the process. It looks like business acumen, academic success, and philosophical consistency.
What Godly wisdom looks like
So what does it look like to be wise with God’s wisdom? James gives us some pretty clear ideas.
“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
James 3:13-18
If you want to walk in God’s wisdom in 2019, it would be wise (see what I did there?) to take some time and evaluate what each of the markers of “wisdom from above” looks like in our day-to-day life.
It’s pure
James mentions purity earlier in his epistle when he states, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (1:27) Purity means keeping yourself “unstained from the world.”
Godly wisdom will lead you away from sin and towards holiness. You won’t mingle your life with things that displease God or go against his intended order of creation.
It’s peaceable
Godly wisdom makes you someone who doesn’t tend to argue much. Instead you become a peaceable person – someone who can interact peacefully with those you disagree with. It also means that you’re someone who lives at peace rather than frantically rushing about trying to solve every problem you can rest and trust that God is the one who is in control.
It’s gentle
Wisdom that is from above displays itself with gentleness. The wise person doesn’t need to raise their voice or use force to make their point. They know that gentle words have far more power in the long run.
It’s open to reason
Being open to reason means you’re willing to have someone convince you that you’re wrong. Generally when I picture someone who’s wise I assume they have all the answers. That’s certainly the picture that is displayed by most of the people considered wise within the Christian culture – celebrity pastors whose primary job is to give people answers from God’s word.
But here we see a wise person who’s open to reason, realizing that they don’t have all the answers. Godly wisdom displays a willingness and eagerness to learn and change one’s views when they don’t align with the truth.
It’s full of mercy and good fruits
Godly wisdom isn’t empty. It’s full with mercy. When you encounter someone who has this kind of wisdom and you wrong them or harm them in some way, they’re going to have mercy on you.
It’s impartial
Godly wisdom doesn’t evaluate people based upon their appearance, political affiliation, or any other common dividing line in our world. It knows well the fact that we are all on the same level before God, and doesn’t play favorites.
It’s sincere
There’s no worry of double-speak or a person with Godly wisdom going behind your back. They will be sincere and honest with you, telling you what they feel and know rather than putting on a false face.
It grows righteousness
When godly wisdom is present it grows a harvest of righteousness. Not only does it have an impact on the person who is wise, it also shapes and grows those around them into what James describes as a “harvest of righteousness.”
My friends, our world needs that kind of wisdom here and now. We need people who are gentle and peaceable, open to reason, and impartially giving mercy to those that they encounter, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. Let’s learn from James and look to Jesus, the fountain and example of what it looks like to walk in Godly wisdom as a human.
We’ve got a lot to learn, and plenty of practicing to do if we’re going to walk as He walked and be wise as He was wise. The good news is that, as James writes in the first chapter of his epistle, when we ask for wisdom God always delights to give it. Take some time today to ask, and then put into practice what he gives.
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