James 3:13-18
13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.
17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
James 3:13-18
James gives us some practical application on how to lead with wisdom in chapter three of James.
He starts by telling us to live with good conduct by living well, wisely, and humbly. Our behavior speaks volumes of what we believe. In fact, the word deeds used in James 3 means an action that carries out a person’s inner desire/purpose.
James then tells us of our tendency to have selfish ambitions and boost our ego by telling the world we know it all. These are roadblocks to his first point of living well, wisely, and humbly. When we start thinking we are already wise; we won’t be as curious anymore. We would be separating ourselves from others and make decisions that we think won’t fail. In Jim Collins, “How the Might Fall,” he tells us that the first reason great companies fall is that they think they won’t. It’s called the hubris of success. And according to James – that kind of mindset comes from the pit of hell.
So here’s how real wisdom looks like:
17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
- It begins with a holy life. It is a set-apart life, a life where honoring God is the goal and not worldly success.
- It requires that we get along with each other – practicing gentleness, mercy, and honor consistently.
- It is holistic in nature. It’s not just wisdom in one area of life.