But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:17-18 NIV
Wisdom is a highly desirable trait. But it is often misunderstood. For much of my life, I understood wisdom to be the ability to apply my knowledge to situations that I found myself in, whether at work, at home, or in life. Wisdom was the ability to figure things out.
Biblical Wisdom
But wisdom, as used in the Bible, is more than that. Wisdom has a moral component to it. It will lead the person having wisdom to live righteously. And nowhere is that more apparent than in the book of Proverbs. In this book, wisdom is personified as Lady Wisdom. A woman who calls out to people to live rightly and to avoid the folly of immorality. To have biblical wisdom is to live in a way that would bring honor to God. That would build up His church. And that would be a light shining in the darkness.
In this passage, James tells us how to know if we have God’s wisdom. In contrast to earthly wisdom that has the potential to destroy the harmony of the body, heavenly wisdom builds up and unites. These eight characteristics of wisdom that James lists will enable us to become peacemakers who will reap a harvest of righteousness. If these characteristics of wisdom are not found in your life, I encourage you to follow James’ direction in James 1:5, asking God for His wisdom.
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