BACKGROUND:
People filled with jealousy and selfish ambition think they must be first in everything. They cannot stand to see anyone else in the limelight, or have anyone else cast a shadow on what they do. This leads to desires and strategies for revenge that can lead to disaster. By contrast, the following seven characteristics of heavenly wisdom are strung together like pearls. They are what wisdom is and produces.
The wisdom that comes from heaven is . . . pure. To be fruitful for God, we must have moral and spiritual integrity. It is also peace loving. This is peace that goes beyond inner peace; it is opposed to strife. It is peace between people, and between people and God. It must be peace that affects the community. Christians must not only prefer peace, but they should also seek to spread it.
It is gentle at all times. This is the opposite of self-seeking. It does not demand its own right. To be gentle is to make allowances for others, to temper justice with mercy. It is the kind of treatment that we would like to receive from others.
This wisdom is also willing to yield to others. Heavenly wisdom is reasonable, flexible—willing to listen and to change. Just as good soldiers willingly follow orders from their superiors, people with heavenly wisdom willingly follow God’s orders and respond to his correction.
This wisdom is also full of mercy and good deeds. God’s wisdom is full of God’s gracious forgiveness. And his love leads to practical action, helping and serving others. We should be willing to forgive even when the problems we are facing are someone else’s fault.
God’s wisdom shows no partiality, meaning single-minded and free from prejudice toward people and without double-mindedness toward God. Finally, it is always sincere, meaning “unhypocritical.” God’s wisdom makes people genuine.
Peacemakers are able to plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness. In Matthew 5:9, Jesus promises that the peacemakers will be blessed. Their reward will be to see right relationships between God and people. (For more on sowing wisdom and truth and reaping righteousness see Psalm 1:3; Proverbs 11:30; Galatians 6:7-10; Philippians 1:11.)
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what i have read today?)
A mark of a wise person is they don't try to hide and disguise their own weaknesses. "Wisdom is impartial and sincere." These two words in Greek sound similar. They sound like "hypocrite" and that is where we get the word from. It means "without hypocrisy" -- straightforward, right on. In the Greek theater they often would have just a couple or three actors playing an entire play. These people would change parts. They would hold masks in front of their face. One person would have five or six different masks and parts and that person, that actor, was called a hypocrite. They have all kinds of masks.
James says if you're smart and wise, you're not phoney. You don't wear masks and try to be something you're not. I've said before, if you're perfect this is not the church for you. If you're going to wear masks this isn't the church for you. This is for real people, with real sins, real hang ups, real faults, real emotional problems, real family problems. Real wise people are honest and open. They're not phoney. They're genuine. They're real and authentic. "What you see is what you get" with a really wise person.
James says if you're smart and wise, you're not phoney. You don't wear masks and try to be something you're not. I've said before, if you're perfect this is not the church for you. If you're going to wear masks this isn't the church for you. This is for real people, with real sins, real hang ups, real faults, real emotional problems, real family problems. Real wise people are honest and open. They're not phoney. They're genuine. They're real and authentic. "What you see is what you get" with a really wise person.
They don't attain or pretend perfection. If I'm wise I'm not going to disguise my weaknesses. There are so many phony relationships today. People try to be something they're not. The number one place you can see this is singles' bars. Phony relationships. Where else in our society do you offer to buy something for a total stranger? Phony! Trying to be something you're not.
Proverbs 28:13 says, "You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins." It's dumb to pretend that you're perfect, that you've got it all together because nobody does.
When you start telling people what your weaknesses are they're not going to be shocked because they already know. Everybody knows your weakness. You're the only one who won't admit it. We see each other's weaknesses all the time. Why do we walk around pretending that we don't know? We do. It's obvious to everybody. But we don't want to admit it.
Proverbs 28:13 says, "You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins." It's dumb to pretend that you're perfect, that you've got it all together because nobody does.
When you start telling people what your weaknesses are they're not going to be shocked because they already know. Everybody knows your weakness. You're the only one who won't admit it. We see each other's weaknesses all the time. Why do we walk around pretending that we don't know? We do. It's obvious to everybody. But we don't want to admit it.
If I'm wise I won't disguise my weaknesses. People appreciate honesty, being gut level and sharing where they are. It also helps them to be more open. They might be struggling with it too.
Finally, how do I get wisdom? How do I become one of those wise people in relationships so that I have that peace that everybody is talking about? Do I just make a New Year's Resolution -- today I'm going to be wise! No. This is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge comes from education. Wisdom comes from God. To get knowledge you look around. To get wisdom you look up. Knowledge comes from reason. Wisdom comes from revelation. Knowledge is something you learn. Wisdom is a gift.
James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." Wisdom is a gift from God. I sometimes ask 50 times a day, "God, give me wisdom." I want to be wise more than anything else. If I'm loving and I'm wise, I'm going to make it in life. If you're loving and wise you're going to make it in life. "Ask of God who gives generously." He loves to give.
I love you guys. Stay faithful. Be wise.
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