James 3 : 13-18 13) Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14) But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15)This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16) For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17) But rthe wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18) And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Let’s talk about wisdom this week. Wisdom is a concept we normally associate with an older person, and rightly so. Wisdom is the byproduct of experience and discipline that comes from life. Every trial we go through, every person we help through a trial, and task we accomplish, or fail at earns us a measure of wisdom. Wisdom is Gods given gift to men to guide them through life. Wisdom helps us to make better informed decisions in the future, so we may live a healthier, happier life.
Wisdom can take two paths: the path of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition built upon a false truth James 3: 14. The second path is that of purity, peace, gentleness, reason, mercy, fruitfulness, Impartiality and sincerity James 3: 17. It is often clear which path of wisdom a person has taken based off the deeds they commit themselves too.
The first path can be identified by those who make every decision out of selfish gain. The most common examples of these can be found in addicts. Each time an addict takes a hit, the substance becomes more appealing to them, creating a selfish yearning to continue to feel this experience over and over again. This is what we call addiction, and this addiction can get so bad that a persons life becomes completely absorbed in selfish gratification that they will destroy their whole life to find their next high. They become more wise in how to make this happen, finding the people who can give it to them, finding new and inventive ways to acquire it, and even sacrifice others around them for it. A great example of this can be found in the book Fearless by Eric Blehm. (I recommend this book for everyone reading this. It is a great book on personal reflection, leadership and how a person can go from the wrong path of wisdom to the righteous path).
Now of course this is an extreme example of the wrong path, and usually this path is much more subtle that we cannot even recognize when we are going down this path. It takes the guidance and care of those on the righteous path to help illuminate our path and guide us to the correct path.
Now the second path is the righteous path, this path takes the mistakes, the successes, the challenges, the blessings, knowledge and experiences all around to mold us into a better person. The people on the second path are usually devoted to caring for those around them, they surround themselves with people who serve, love and care for their fellow man. They are usually joyous, and at a certain level of constant peace. When life gets hard they don’t self indulge in a pity or seek condolences from the crowds around them; instead they are positive knowing from their past wisdom that they will come out on top, and have learned something great through the experience.
I don’t know about you but I often find myself on the first path, and desperate want to be on the second path. So how do we do this?
First, you must understand as long as we are apart of this world and in rebellion from God, we will always fall into the first path, and our lives will slowly spiral out of our control. We live on the first path and are only given glimpses of the second path by Gods mercy. We do not deserve to live on the second path, we only deserve what our sin brings us, but god is merciful and forgiving (Daniel 9: 9), giving us full accesses to the second path through his son Jesus Christ.We spoke a little bit about being a christian in last weeks devotion and if you have any questions about it please feel free to read it, or contact us.
Second, Christ is the only gate in which we can access the second path John 14: 6. It is through him we receive holy wisdom from above. As Christians we should be humbled by Gods mercy, and seek through daily prayer for God to bestow his wisdom upon us. For if we seek his wisdom, to live our lives for him, he will deliver it to us Jeremiah 33:3, James 1:5. God wants us on the second path, he wants us to live lives fulfilled, and only he can give us that fulfillment.
Third, we must be willing to humble ourselves before God and each other. Life in Christ is not a solo adventure, but rather a team effort. We must seek God daily praying that he opens our eyes to the wisdom we can gain. In addition we must ask that he provides us with and help us seek the counseling from wise brothers and sisters in Christ Psalms 1: 1-6. God has given us the gift of life if we have accepted him. With that gift comes a new family of believers, we must trust and lean on one another to grow, keeping to the righteous path of wisdom.
I want to end this devotion with a story from the scriptures. Solomon was a king of Israel following King David. Shortly after becoming king, Solomon gave a great sacrifice to God. Solomon felt humbled in God’s presence and ill equipped for caring for the people of Israel. He asked God to give him wisdom to care for the Israelites, and God answered his prayer. It is said Solomon became the wisest man to ever live.
Years went by and Solomon found himself no longer walking on the second path of wisdom but spiraling out of control on the first path. It was not until he was close to his death that he looked back upon his life and realized all the wisdom he had gained. He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes when he was nearing death. In the last chapter he sums up the whole of what wisdom and, It reads as follows: Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 “13) The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14) For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”At the end of his life Solomon looked back and he saw that the greatest wisdom of all is a life in duty to God.
Below are this weeks reflection question. Go through them be honest with yourself, and don’t be shy in sharing your answers with your christian friends and families. Remember one of the keys to remaining on the path of righteous wisdom is to do it together.
Have you prayed for God to give you his wisdom?
Do you look at what life throws at you as an obstacle? Or a challenge you cannot wait to see how God brings through?
Do you have a journal where you write the experiences you have been through, and the wisdom God has given you through them?
Is there past experiences in your life that you gained the wrong wisdom from and need to change it?
Do you have a group of wise Christian counselors you go to for advice?
What are you going to do in the future to safeguard your steps to help ensure you stay on the righteous path of wisdom?
I hope you enjoy this weeks devotion. Please leave a comment or send us a message letting us know if you have a subject you want touched on. If you have any prayer request, need to talk to someone, need a bible, or would like to know more about becoming a Christian or being apart of Triple Hares, please reach out.
God Bless!
Kyle C Statham
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