Right or Righteous?

 

Facebook memories can be such an interesting thing. It can help you to see things that have been important to you over time.  So many of my memories that have popped up from the last several years have been about wisdom. Verses about wisdom, talking about my desire for wisdom, etc. The older I have gotten and the more I have been around various people, the more I have realized how much I do not know. I want wisdom to know how to handle the situations we are facing, how to handle the people I encounter- and disagree with at times and to know how to be the best me I can be.

The book of James has much to say about wisdom. In chapter 1 verse 5 it says that if we need wisdom we should ask our generous God. He wants to give us wisdom. All too often we think that whatever our point of view is or what we believe is what wisdom is. We assume because we are Christians we must be right.  We believe that we know it all and we don’t have anything to learn, and if we do have something to learn we can only learn it from people who believe just like us. Instead of asking God for wisdom, we try to lean on the wisdom of man.

This begs the question, what is God’s wisdom? James 3:17 tells us, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.” If we truly have wisdom it will be evident by these characteristics active in our lives.

I looked up what the word for wisdom is in Greek. It is sophia, which means the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living. I thought this next part was even more interesting. It says wisdom is also devout and proper prudence in dealing with those who are not Christians and having skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth. I think as Christians we desperately need to stop and think before dealing with those who are not Christians and need the discretion to impart the gospel to them in a way that does not actually push people from the gospel. It breaks my heart to hear story after story of people who have rejected Christ because of how those who say they are Christ-followers have treated them.

James says that wisdom is first of all pure. This means innocent, modest, clean, and perfect. Well, obviously we are not perfect even though the more we mature as Christians the more we become like the perfect one, Christ himself. If we want to have wisdom, we need to be more like Christ. The rest of the words in this passage are also words that describe Jesus. It says wisdom is peace-loving, when I looked up this word something that stood out to me was one part that said: “brings peace with it.”  If we have wisdom, we should be bringing peace with us wherever we go.

The verse also says gentle which means gentle and patient, mild, and using moderation. These are all words that definitely describe how Jesus interacted with those around him. I am not saying Jesus never got riled up and that he never confronted anything. I mean, he did flip a few tables and called someone the devil. (I have definitely had times the last couple of years I wouldn’t have minded doing that!) If we look at the Word though, he did that to religious people, not to the ones who knew they were sinners. He did it to the ones who thought they knew everything and believed they were the most righteous- that always makes me stop in my tracks. How often do I react thinking that I am more righteous than the person I am frustrated with and so I hold on to my beliefs and totally disregard someone else's?

The verse goes on to say that wisdom is full of mercy, kindness, and goodwill with a desire to help someone. If someone has wisdom it is also evident because they have the fruit of good deeds. If we are full of wisdom, we should have deeds that show we are God’s children. We should be the first to help the hurting, the sorrowful, and the lost. Finally, the verse says it should not show favoritism or have hypocrisy. We must be sincere in our desire to help when we share what we believe.

This is what wisdom should look like. Here are a few verses that show us what wisdom does not look like.

Proverbs 13:10- “ Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.”

Proverbs 18:2- “Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions.”

Proverbs 15:2- “Mockers resent correction, so they avoid the wise.”

The opposite of wisdom is pride and conflict. Holding to your own opinions so strongly that you cannot learn from anyone else. We don’t have to completely agree with someone on everything in order to still listen, understand, and learn things. Proverbs 15:22 says that “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” It is good to seek out good counsel from several people, Godly people, and people who know more than you about whatever topic it is you need wisdom in. If you are having problems with your car, you probably aren’t going to call your beautician. And if you need a haircut you probably aren’t going to call your mechanic. Your mechanic might be a great person, but they probably wouldn’t be able to do a great job on your hair. When you are seeking wisdom, look for advice from people who actually know what they are talking about, not just from the opinions of people who heard something and it sounded like it made sense to them.

God wants to give us wisdom. He wants us to live in a way that shows the world who He is and what He did for us. God wants to protect us from the enemy who comes to kill, steal, and destroy and to give us life more abundantly- but we have to cooperate with Him and the wisdom He gives in order for that to happen.

In this season it is so important for us to find, get, and use wisdom. Before we speak, type, or share we need to ask ourselves if what we are about to share follows the guidelines of wisdom. Is it pure, peace-loving, gentle, full of mercy, is it sincere, does it have credible advisors? If it doesn’t meet those requirements, it is probably a good idea to hold our tongue. Proverbs 17:28 even says that a fool is considered wise if he holds his tongue.

My prayer is that we will constantly be seeking and asking for wisdom and that as we walk in wisdom we will be a light to those who do not know Christ and we will begin to see revival in our land instead of so much hatred and division.