envelop spinner search close plus arrow-right arrow-left facebook twitter

Heavenly Wisdom

by Marilyn Bazett-Jones on June 22, 2015

James 3 talks about two kinds of wisdom: worldly wisdom and the wisdom that comes from heaven. The one that comes from heaven is “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17)

  • When something is PURE, it is 100%, full strength. Undiluted, undefiled, untainted. It is very valuable. It is Truth.
  • PEACE-LOVING is actively seeking the calm and quiet for my soul. Being still, taking time in my Bible, hearing the birds, smelling the roses, giving God a chance to breathe His wisdom into me in the calm, unhurried moments. Peace-loving is valuing unity with God and harmony with others and doing whatever’s necessary to achieve that. If I listen, God will impress the next steps upon me.
  • CONSIDERATE. Some other translations say “gentle.” We could say compassionate, kind, caring and thoughtful of others.
  • SUBMISSIVE would be willingly putting myself under God’s authority – and staying there. This would be yielding my own will and doing my best to hear God’s voice in the matter. Being submissive is being obedient. Not justifying a way out; no second-guessing.
  • FULL OF MERCY and GOOD FRUIT. That sounds like being full of forgiveness and always ready to give grace (cut some slack), like God does for us. Good fruit is the juicy stuff -- being willing to give, do and sacrifice for the good of others. Good fruit follows good intentions. (Sometimes we get stuck there.)
  • Being IMPARTIAL means fair, unbiased treatment. God is judge, not me. He wants us to be peaceable, considerate, merciful and generous to all. Then maybe others can know we are Christians by our love.
  • SINCERE seems to circle back to pure. Being sincere would be to have pure motives, to be 100% genuine and honest… without wavering.

See a common thread? Heavenly wisdom is exquisite. It takes humility. It is about loving others, and loving them well. Seeking to be selfless, not selfish, is a good place to begin. Heavenly wisdom may seem a tall order, but isn’t it every bit worth pursuing?

James 1:5 says that if any of us lacks wisdom, we should ask God for it, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given.

Lord, I desire the pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive wisdom from heaven. I sincerely want to be teachable. Help me to be impartial, generous with mercy and good fruit. With my eyes on you and my soul quieted, I can receive the heavenly wisdom you so want to give.

Tags: fruit, others, selfless, wisdom