Wow! Yesterday we looked at man’s wisdom and it was UGLY! Today’s will be sweeter and prettier. However, we will be convicted if we are not exercising it. Conviction is a good thing if we handle it the right way. When conviction happens, we tend to put it off or try to get it out of our minds. We tell ourselves we will deal with it later, or we justify it in our minds. Either way, the sin remains. Maybe the realization of the beauty of God’s wisdom, and the results and ugliness of man’s wisdom will help shorten the process of true repentance.
The results of God’s wisdom yield Meekness, Purity, Peace, Gentleness, Compliance, Mercy, Good Fruits, Decisiveness, and Sincerity.
James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, 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. ”
Meekness- This is not weakness, it is, the opposite. It is a “power under control.” The meek person does not selfishly assert himself. This fruit of the Spirit cannot be manufactured by man. We must guard against false humility and seek the “real deal.” For every truth, Satan will provide a counterfeit! Meekness of wisdom is the right use of power, and wisdom is the right use of knowledge.
Purity – This is free of defilement. God’s wisdom will lead to a pure life. When this is our goal we will desire to be holy. We will not be happy just being ok, we will be seeking what is best. A person seeking purity in their life will stay away from the edge of sin. A lady trying to be modest will look in the mirror before wearing a garment outside of her home and do “the checks.” Is my shirt too low, pants or skirt too tight, am I drawing attention to areas that are sensual? If you study this out, (another lesson) you will find your sensual areas start at the thigh and end at the beginning of your cleavage. Purity thinks about how her dress will affect others, not how cute or sexy she is. ‘Nough Said! Purity walks in the middle of the circle, not on the rim!
Peace – This is peace based on holiness, not compromise. The peace of the church is not more important than the purity of the church. If the church is pure and devoted to God, then there will be peace and unity.
Gentleness – this is sweet reasonableness, a moderation without compromise. This person will not deliberately cause strife and contention, but will not compromise the truth to keep the peace.
Compliance –God’s wisdom makes us agreeable and easy to live and work with. Man’s wisdom makes us stubborn and selfish. A compliant person can disagree without being disagreeable. (James 1:19)
Mercy – Mercy is getting what we do not deserve. When we understand the mercy of God we will be merciful to others. I can’t help but think of the servant in Matthew 18:27 -32 who was forgiven by his master, and then he went out and was harsh and unmerciful to someone that owed him. As a result, his master showed no more mercy to him!
Good Fruits – People who are faithful will demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit. God’s wisdom makes our lives full of purpose!
Decisiveness – Singleness of mind, without wavering. When we have the wisdom of God it will help us to make wise decisions and stick to them. They will be based on the principles of the Bible or the direct commands of the Word.
Sincerity – When we are sincere there will be no hidden agenda. We will not be hypocritical in any area of our lives.
As you can see there is a great contrast between the wisdom of man and God. Man’s wisdom will always produce worldly results while God’s wisdom will produce spiritual results. One leads to compromise and eternal death, and the other leads to truth and eternal life!
We experience the blessings of God when we seek his wisdom and obey.
