James 3:17-18 | The Wisdom From Above
James 3:17-18 ESV says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Lately, the simple truth that God is good has impacted my heart. I keep coming back to this idea that God is worthy of sovereignty and divinity just because of his greatness and power. The way I see it, his place as God isn’t hanging on being loving, wise, gentle, compassionate, merciful, or kind. If God were a harsh, angry, and hateful God, he would still be God. Who would challenge him?
Yet God is none of those things. He is excellent and majestic, but he is also slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He is powerful and providential yet compassionate and merciful. God has so bound himself to the precepts of love, grace, and mercy, that he has defined spiritual laws to govern what is good. We call this wisdom.
Wisdom is a never-ending expression of what is good. Foolishness, false wisdom, and wickedness are not contrary paths to wisdom and righteousness. They are merely reductions of the spiritual laws God has established. The enemy campaigns for foolishness with a false promise to free its listeners from the bonds of righteousness. The result is the hollowing out of the soul.
James carefully lays out a distinction for his readers between wisdom from above and wisdom from below. False wisdom comes in these forms: bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. What is the end of the road for bitter jealousy but acts of hatred that do nothing to free the heart from the grief of bitterness? What is the outcome of selfish ambition but a life of lonely celebrations?
Instead, we are invited to seek the wisdom from above. Wisdom is the harvest of righteousness sown in peace by those who make peace. How do you make peace? James gives us a list to begin. First, pursue and cling to what is pure. Be peaceable. Love a life of gentleness. Remain open to reason. Fill your life with mercy and good fruits, the fruits of the Spirit. Live a life of impartiality and sincerity, not leaving in sarcasm and favoritism.
These simple tools may be some of the most explicit directions for a life of abiding. When I read them, it seemed like the list was not exactly what I would have come up with. Still, if these are the directions for showing peace, what kind of freedom would be available to those who respond and obey?
Abiding happens daily in his presence. Abiding Daily is a simple and practical reminder to stay connected to the vine. Each prompt is inspired from the scriptures and designed to point you toward prayer and encounter. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To get the Daily Invitation sent to you every day click this link or text “Daily” to +1 (779) 237-3914.
