"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct, let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom." James 3:13 ESV
Wow, what a question to wake up the morning too!
Throughout life, we learn lots of things, some through study, but most through the school of hard knocks. Wisdom is the application of the sum of that accumulated knowledge. In careful self-reflection, we strive to find answers to any number of questions, attempting to answer not only the Why but the What. Why did this happen? What if I responded this way instead of that? We store all that information away, adding to it new experiences, and reprocessing the questions. From this catalog of knowledge and conclusions, we have the beginnings of wisdom.
James writes that the application of our wisdom is to be done with meekness. The world’s standard of wisdom is claiming knowledge even when it does not exist, “Look at me, I have all the answers.” Spiritual discernment is recognizing God as the real source and acknowledging our limited role. We are to use the wisdom graced us not for self-aggrandization, but out of a genuine concern for others. In meekness, we put others before ourselves. James concludes, “wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (17-18).
Heavenly Father, we are grateful for any wisdom you have given us. We are tempted to conform to the world’s standard, claiming knowledge to glorify ourselves instead of you. We ask your help in everything we do to show meekness, putting others ahead of ourselves, and furthering your kingdom instead of our desires. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Blessings!
Pastor Tim
