MORE THAN INFORMATION
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. 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. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:13-18 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
James once again drives home a consistent theme in his writing. Our outward behavior demonstrates what is inside our mind and heart.
To have wisdom is more than just an accumulation of information. There are a lot of people with advanced degrees which prove they have accumulated information. Yet many of those same people struggle to transform information into wisdom. I believe that wisdom is the ability to take information and use it wisely.
James talks about God’s wisdom in terms of relationship with others. God’s wisdom is not jealous or selfish. It is pure, peace loving, gentle, and “willing to yield to others.” That is contrary to human wisdom.
God’s wisdom is “full of mercy” and “good deeds.” It involves sincerity and peacemaking.
Notice that Godly wisdom is not about the accumulation of information, but the ability to transform information into action talked about in this passage. It is how we treat others that is the sign of what kind of wisdom we have—God’s wisdom or earthly wisdom.
I think it is better to know how to properly use a little information than to have lots of information and not know how to apply that information. The Holy Spirit can take the information we have and help us apply it to our daily lives.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me to live with Godly wisdom. Help me to demonstrate that wisdom by the way I treat others.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”