Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, spiritual, demonic. For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy.  And the fruit of righteousness is sewn in peace by those who cultivate peace.  James 3:13-18 HCSB

There is wisdom, which is given from God. Our scripture passage tells us that God-given wisdom is pure, peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. There is knowledge that comes from the world. We all ascertain a certain amount of knowledge from dealing with the world we live in. I learned a few things about banking and money management from my mom growing up. My dad taught me some things about dairying, horses and caring for animals.

We gather knowledge as we grow. My dad taught me to defend myself but also to be compassionate and kind hearted towards those in need. My mom taught me about the Bible and the importance of having a solid relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I watch my young niece and nephews. She is 8 and they are 4. I love seeing them learn. They learn things like their alphabet and how to read, but they also learn things about life. They are gaining knowledge from and about the world around them. They gain wisdom from being in church and learning to have a relationship with Jesus.

So I ask, are you wise or are you knowledgeable? Have you gained knowledge from the world around you or have you sought and received wisdom from the Lord? If you are feeling like perhaps you are not the brightest bulb in the room, God will give you wisdom. You need only to ask. James 1:5 tells us that if any of us lack wisdom, we should ask God who gives generously and without criticizing. You can ask God for wisdom without him criticizing you for your lack of good sense.

My friend, if you are not praying on a regular basis for God to give you wisdom, then you really need to start. We need God’s wisdom in all that we do. We need to trust God to direct us and guide us in all that we do. When we rely on our own knowledge is when we get into trouble. This leads to pride and pride leads to our destruction (Proverbs 16:18).

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we should trust in the Lord with all our heart and not rely on our own understanding and He will guide our paths. Proverbs 3:7 tells us not to be wise in our own eyes but to fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

The truly wise lean on God and trust in Him in all that they do. This kind of wisdom brings good conduct, is pure, peace loving, gentle, compliant and full of mercy and good fruits. This kind of wisdom is without favoritism and hypocrisy.

If you are relying on your own knowledge and you are prideful and independent, I must warn you, you are headed for a fall. If there is any envy and selfish ambition in you, if you promote disorder and plot evil, know that God will not tolerate this. Know that your pride will bring you down.

If you are dealing with someone like this, know that God’s got this. Daily pray for His wisdom and trust in Him to guide you. He will protect you from evil and lift you up in due time.

We can be wise if we obtain our wisdom from the Lord. If we rely on our own understanding, we are foolish and headed for disaster. I know I’ve been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. Trust me, when we rely on God-given wisdom and not our own knowledge, we get a much better outcome.

Have a great day!