THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE

                                     THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE

"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation/behavior his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom is not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated(reasoned with), full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." James 3:13-18

                                             WHAT IS WISDOM?

  Our basic understanding of WISDOM is that it is the ability to make the best decisions and judgments. This is something everyone wants and should strive for. It is needed in every area of our lives. We need it in handling money, time, relationships, information, social, religious, political interactions, and even entertainment. It is most critical when forming our morals and values. The outcome of our choices will determine what kind of person we will be, how we are going to live, how we will treat people and the world around us, and will be a major factor in both our earthly and our eternal destiny.  

  The need for wisdom is most apparent in managing our time and financial affairs, along with how we handle the gamut of problems and choices that we are confronted with daily.  How often have we been grieved by foolish decisions and costly choices? Oh, how we need to pray for His guidance and wisdom!  

 FATHER'S HELP VS OUR "BETTER JUDGMENT"

  Our Heavenly Father is fully aware of the struggles we face and the difficulty involved in navigating our lives through the maze of obstacles and demands of our existence, especially when the information given is sometimes limited, the ideal conditions are a gamble, and the outcome scenarios are obscure. What amplifies it is if we feel pressed to make a decision. As a backup, He lovingly and graciously offers us the assistance we need, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not/without faultfinding, and it shall be given him." James 1:6. He is not saying that He has not already given us a measure of wisdom in the package of life, but there are times and situations where we can use an added boost. Moses was being directed by God in his dealings with the children of Israel. But when it came to counselling the people with their daily problems, Jethro, his father-in-law, stepped in and gave him some unsolicited wise advice in order to keep him and the people from burnout. He suggested that Moses find suitable help and spread out as much of the responsibility as possible to other reliable men. Exodus 18:13-26. Now, Moses did not ask for help in this situation since he fell into it kind of organically. So it was not a case of arrogance or pride; he was just caught off guard. Nevertheless, God sent help through the wisdom of his father-in-law.  Moses failure here could have hampered his greater responsibilities.

  If we look at Moses early attempt to do God's will, he assumed that the people would realize that he was to be their deliverer by taking it upon himself and killing the Egyptian who was beating one of the Israelites. That decision forced him to flee for his life (Acts 7:22-29). Oh, how we all need that extra boost of wisdom from God in making some of our decisions. We will be amazed at the problems and griefs we can avoid. Notice also that not all of God's wisdom given to us necessarily comes through us, as was in this case with Moses. This leads to another major necessity in the pursuit of wisdom and making wise choices:

HUMILITY - A CRITICAL INGREDIENT FOR RECEIVING WISDOM James 3:13

  It takes the wisdom of humility to know who, when, and what advice we should listen to. Rehoboam, after receiving the throne of Israel from his father Solomon, while trying to decide what answer to give the people, sought counsel from the elders who served his father, and then also from the young men who grew up with him. The abridged advice from the elders was to serve the people, and the abridged advice from the young men was to rule the people with a heavy hand. As you know, he chose the councel of the young men, "And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him." 1 Kings 12:13. Although the Scripture says that Rehoboam's choice was of the Lord (can be discussed some other time), by choosing the arrogant and presumptuous advice of the young men, it ended in the breakup of Israel. Such advice would appeal to a prideful and foolish heart. Lord, have mercy on us all.

  It takes humility to recognize wisdom, and humility to even embrace it. A huge obstacle for us to gain wisdom is PRIDE AND ARROGANCE, "...God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble." James 3:6

  We have not only the Perfect Example of a Godly attitude, but as believers, He lives inside us - our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have little excuse. Jesus said, "Come unto Me all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart..." Matthew 11:28-29. If we are walking in pride, we are more likely to be presumptuous, disregard fallout, or not take advice, let alone warnings. "A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless." Proverbs 14:16

  So, Dear Friends, if we want to make wise decisions and choices, and especially if we want the Lord's wisdom and help, let's humble ourselves.