Who among you is
wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the
gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in
your heart, do not be arrogant and so
lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but
is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits,
unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is
sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:13-18
We have at our disposal today more documented knowledge than
at any time in history. With the digital
capabilities of our age, data is amassing at an unbelievable rate. Is most of this information, for the most
part, important or meaningless? Is it
necessary to know the speed ketchup flows from a bottle compared to some other
condiment? How much trivia can one
person actually accumulate before losing their sanity?!
While we certainly have more information, it doesn’t seem to
have translated into knowing what to do with what we know! As a matter of fact, it seems to have confused
people even more about life and relationships.
James would not be surprised by this at all. It was the same in his day.
James begins with a question: Who among you is wise and understanding? The
question is not directed at who is the smartest. The words translated here are directed more
toward the practical aspects of life than the intellectual. James concern is to focus their attention on
how far many are from discovering wisdom in life.
There are many who think they have all the answers. Newspaper and magazine articles share “advice”
for living; self-help seminars, books and recordings promote individual
strengths over social values; athletes and movie stars weigh in on matters far
outside their expertise; and people listen with close attention. There are just multitudes of individuals who
regard themselves as endowed with the ability or qualified to share their
wisdom and understanding. But what do
they really know?
That’s exactly what James says. Where is their authority? Interestingly, James does not find it in
their worldly success. His standard is
one of character and spirit. For James,
wisdom is not merely a matter of the head. Let him show by his
good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish
ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This
wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural,
demonic. For where jealousy and selfish
ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
The person who is really wise will show that wisdom by the
way he lives his life not by the amount of data they can recite. Depending on the kind of lifestyle a person
has, you can make an accurate judgment concerning the kind of wisdom they have
-- whether it is the wisdom that comes from God or the wisdom that is earthly,
unspiritual, of the devil.
The end of it all seems to be that the “know-it-all” simply
“doesn’t.” Check instead with the one
who “shows” more than they “know.”
Scripture to Claim:
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
