Wisdom

I head the words "wise" and "wisdom" a lot. "That was a wise move just then." "Your decision showed a lot of wisdom." What do those words really mean? Most of the time, people mean something like "you really made that decision anticipating the consequences" or "that decision is likely to have good outcomes." Interestingly, James 3:14-16 talks about how worldly wisdom is often tainted by envy or selfish ambition. The executive who wisely chose friends to help him/her climb the corporate ladder. The coworker who wisely chose not to trust others in the office.

In the context of this passage, wisdom means something very different than what we often think. James begins in verse 13 by explaining that wisdom is evident from good deeds and humility. We could probably conceed the "good deeds" part. But when have you ever associated humility with wisdom? But then look at verses 17-18. James goes on to say that wisdom from heaven is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive... I don't know about you, but I'm not sure how often I've heard those words associated with saying someone is wise.

Wisdom is about taking knowledge and applying it to situations in which you find yourself. Wisdom from the world takes knowledge from the world's perspective, which is focused on self, and applies it to decisions. Wisdom from God takes God's perspective, which is focused on Him and on others, and uses that knowledge to approach situations.

How will you be wise next week? As you think about work, where can you be purer? Where can you bring peace? How can you be considerate to others? In what ways will you be submissive to your boss? How can you show mercy to others, especially those who report to you or are further down the hierarchy?