October 20, 2012 – Day 13

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. ^[1]

There are two types of wisdom. One that comes from the devil and the other that comes from God. The two are distinguished by the displayed habits and attitudes of those who claim to have it. We are not certain what precisely James is addressing, but it seems that he has some situation or circumstance in the body of believers in mind. Perhaps the “disorder and every evil practice” reference was what was characterizing their community and if so, how did it happen? Maybe some ‘spirit-minded’ followers who were claiming to have godly wisdom were guilty of harboring “bitter envy and selfish ambition’ in their hearts. Such attitudes are incompatible with what God requires. What they were operating in might be wisdom, but it was not godly wisdom.

Godly wisdom is wisdom that comes straight from heaven. It is “pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Those who demonstrate this type of wisdom are “peacemakers who sow in peace” and “raise a harvest of righteousness.”

Like so many things in God’s Kingdom demonstrating godly wisdom is not easy. Our flesh leads us to be envious and ambitious and even to brag and boast about it. But it is our flesh that we are to be constantly crucifying to bring it under subjection to the Holy Spirit. If you are like me you desire to operate in godly wisdom but only the grace of God can enable us to do it. Let us pray today for that grace.

Dear heavenly Father, we need Your wisdom. The hurt and the pain in our lives cause us to operate in a wisdom that neither honors nor glorifies You. We are embarrassed and grieved to discover that such wisdom instead is of the enemy of our souls. Forgive us today of our bitter envy and selfish ambition. Forgive us for boasting about it and denying the truth. Forgive us for the damage we have done to Your body and to our brothers and sisters who trusted us to give them Your wisdom. Give us instead the grace to operate in godly wisdom so that you are glorified and your people are edified. We ask it all in Jesus’ name. Amen.