Daily Bible Reading Tuesday 1st December 2020
by William Moody
James 3:13–18
Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
(ESV)
We have seen how the battle to control the tongue is really a battle of the heart, this is seen in the two types of wisdom that live within people (v13).
Bitter envy and selfish ambition come from the wisdom of the world which is opposed to true spiritual living and ultimately is from the devil (v14-16). The problem is that envy and selfish ambition can be very subtle and we can be controlled by a flawed and sinful wisdom without realising it. Seek to openly and honestly pray to God about where envy and self-ambition live in you.
The other wisdom which we are to seek is heavenly wisdom which leads to a life of purity, peace, love and so on (v17). This heavenly wisdom comes to us through God’s word. The fallen worldly wisdom is all around and within us and can only be driven out by the Spirit of God as we consciously saturate our lives and thinking in God’s Word. We cannot float along and float into heavenly wisdom but with determination we need to seek it.
Heavenly wisdom reigning within us produces a harvest or life of righteousness (v18), we become like Jesus and bring pleasure to God.
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