A minister, a Boy Scout, and a computer
expert were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back
to the cabin and said that the plane was going down but there were
only three parachutes and four people. The pilot added, “I should
have one of he parachutes because I have a wife and three small
children.” So he took one and jumped. The computer whiz said, “I
should have one of the parachutes because I am the smartest man in
the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped. The
minister turned to the Boy Scout and with a sad smile said, “You
are young and I have lived a rich life, so you take the remaining
parachute, and I’ll go down with the plane.” The boy Scout said,
“Relax, Reverend, the smartest man in the world just picked up my
knapsack and jumped out!
A couple of weeks ago I was working on
the message for Sunday and I was having a problem with my Bible
software. Not a horrible problem, but I have all of my Biblical
resources on it. I do not have book shelves full of books or stacks
of books around the room like a buddy of mine in Florida. I keep all
my books on my Logos software with its amazing search engine. Well a
couple of weeks ago, the software was crashing every time I booted it
up. Start, crash. Start, crash. I was getting nervous. It made me
think about how dependent we are on technology today.
At work it is the same way. If we do
not have access to our SAP software system, we are in trouble. New
sales orders cannot be entered, work orders cannot be released,
operations cannot show they completed something, and so much more.
Without our technology, our software, we are dead in the water. I bet
most of us have some software we use at work or some other form of
modern technology that would be difficult to get things done without
it. I know people who would struggle making something to eat without
the technological advance of a microwave oven.
Thankfully we do not have problems at
work very often and believe me I was thankful when I realized what I
needed to do to fix my Bible software. We depend on technology for so
much. Whether it is at work, at home, using a computer, or making a
meal, we are very dependent on technology. Think about electricity;
how dependent are you on it? Using your computer, watching TV,
lights, alarm clocks, etc... we are very dependent on it.
While electricity is our source of
power for our technology, God is the source of true faith and true
wisdom. What we need to understand is how dependent we are on God.
Many in the world claim to have answers to all of life's questions,
but God is the only one who really does.
James 3:13
“13 Who is wise and has understanding
among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s
gentleness.”
We have more information available to
us today than every before. A few years back Google CEO Erick Schmidt
said “Every two days we create as much information as we did from
the dawn of civilization up until 2003.” There is more information
available today than ever, and it is immediately available on our
computers, tablets, or phones.
The question is. With all this
knowledge and information, do you think we are any wiser?
So far everything James has been
teaching us requires us to have wisdom.
We need wisdom as we walk through our
trials and temptations, how else are we going to see how God can use
it for His glory.
We need wisdom to help our faith in God drive us to action. Wisdom will help us see what we are supposed to do for God.
We need wisdom to help us avoid
favoritism and to see people as God sees them. It makes it so much
easier to 'love your neighbor as yourself.'
We need wisdom to see what each of us
need to change. Is there enough evidence to convict you of being a
Christian?
We need wisdom to control our tongues.
A wild tongue will bring destruction like a wildfire, a controlled
tongue will be a blessing.
Everything James has taught us so far
requires wisdom.
Proverbs 1:5-7
“5 a wise man will listen and
increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance— 6
for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and
their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
Solomon the wisest man in history wrote
these words and they are good advice. If you walk though life in this
world, there is so many different things trying to get a hold of you.
They want your money, your time, your devotion, your lust, and even
your soul. You are being attacked on every front, how are you going
to survive? There is only one answer, God's wisdom.
In verse 13 James is asking, 'Who is
wise?' and then telling us that 'if you have wisdom, show it!'
Goes along with everything James has
been telling us so far. The way we act is a direct result of our
beliefs. How we live our lives is based on how much wisdom we have
and how much we let God get a hold of us.
If God has a hold of you, your actions
will reflect it!
James 3:14-16
“14 But if you have bitter envy and
selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth. 15
Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual,
demonic. 16 For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is
disorder and every kind of evil.”
This is earthly wisdom. James is
telling his readers and us to take a hard look at yourself. Your
thoughts and actions will reflect your beliefs. When you are making
decisions on what to do, how to spend your time, or how to spend your
money, are you concerned for others or wondering what you are going
to get out of it? If the answer is the later you are using earthly
wisdom.
James is warning that envy and self
ambition will hold you back. Being envious is wanting something that
someone else has so much, that it turns into bitterness. Self
ambition is all about me getting what I want and one upping everyone
else. These things will destroy you.
Proverbs 14:30
“A tranquil heart is life to the
body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.”
Job 5:2
“For anger kills a fool, and jealousy
slays the gullible.”
Envy and self ambition are 'earthly,
unspiritual, and demonic.'
Saul learned this first hand.
1 Samuel 15:22-23
“22 Then Samuel said: Does the Lord
take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying
the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is
better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.”
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.”
Saul's self-centerededness and self
ambition accomplished everything that the devil wanted without the
devil having to do anything. When we act selfishly we play right into
the devil's hand. False earthly wisdom is what the devil wants from
us.
Over and over in the Bible we see that
these things are to be avoided.
Coveting, as was commanded against in
Moses' day leads to envy.
1 Peter 5:5
“In the same way, you younger men, be
subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility
toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to
the humble.”
Envy and self ambition are NOT Godly
characteristics they are earthly characteristics. They are the exact
opposite of how we should be living our lives. Using God's wisdom we
need to be living humbly and selflessly. Put others first and share
what you have been blessed with.
Instead of bitter envy and self
ambition, Godly wisdom operates very differently.
James 3:17-18
“17 But the wisdom from above is
first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and
good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.”
We have an abundance of information
available to every one of us, it is literally at our fingertips. We
need wisdom to decipher it and help us to be who God wants us to be.
Not the earthly wisdom that leads towards destruction but Godly
wisdom that brings His peace.
God's wisdom is first and foremost as
pure as it comes. There is nothing in it that distorts the truth,
there is nothing in it that will lead you wrong, there is nothing in
it that corrupts. God's wisdom will guide you exactly as it should.
This pureness points to the same holiness that is seen when someone
is living 100% for Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:8
“The pure in
heart are blessed, for they will see God.”
Live according to the Pure Wisdom of
God and you will be blessed. Purity expresses our relationship with
God.
God's wisdom is also peace-loving.
Peace-loving expresses our ability to get along with others. It does
not mean you are to be a door mat and let everyone walk all over you,
but it does mean that you are looking for the best outcome for every
situation.
James lists 6 more characteristics of
Godly Wisdom.
Gentle – We need to be considerate
and reasonable with others.
Compliant – We need to be
approachable and willing to let others have their way.
Full of Mercy – We need to be
compassionate and look for ways to help those who are hurting or in
need. Remember what James told us about helping others in need? Don't
say words without following them up with action.
Good Fruits – We should see spiritual
fruit in our lives. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,
Faith, Gentleness, and Self-control. These should be obvious to those
around us.
Without Favoritism – We need to treat
everyone equally. Skin color, male or female, rich or poor, town
drunk or life time saint... none of it matters. We are all God's
children and deserve to be treated accordingly.
Without Hypocrisy – We need to
practice what we preach. If we say we are a Christian, can people
tell by looking at our lives? Is there enough evidence to convict us?
With earthly wisdom we get envy and
self ambition.
With Godly wisdom we get purity and
peace.
Which one do you want? Earthly or
Godly?
Earthly wisdom will lead to despair.
Godly wisdom will lead to us living our faith.
James keeps pointing out in his letter
that we need to live out our faith, and Godly wisdom will open our
eyes so we can do just that.
Godly wisdom will help us endure our
trials with joy,
it will help us to get the junk out of
our lives,it will help us show others we love them,
it will drive us to fully live out our faith,
it will help us to control our tongues.
How do we get Godly Wisdom?
Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in
you. Read your Bible and APPLY what you learn to your life. Reading
is only knowledge, the Wisdom comes from learning how to apply
Biblical knowledge to the different situations you deal with each
day.
If you are arguing with your spouse,
apply Godly wisdom to come to a peaceful solution.
Having conflict at work, apply Godly
wisdom to resolve the problem.
Faced with a difficult choice, apply
Godly wisdom to find the right path.
Applying Godly wisdom will lead to
their being enough evidence for you to be convicted as a Christian.
Thanks for reading, God Bless,
Robert
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