Throughout Scripture, wisdom is magnified and encouraged. Psalms, Proverbs, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and James are all examples of wisdom literature.
God obviously wants us to hear wisdom and live by it.
What should I do with wisdom?
First, seek it with all your heart. God wants to give it to you. He will give it in the amount you will receive it and apply it, but if you don’t apply it or receive it, it will not be yours.
These are truths God gives us through the apostle James. James tells how God wants His children to have wisdom. If we ask, He will give generously and lavishly. He isn’t upset with how often we ask or how trivial the request seems. The more we follow His wisdom, the more wisdom we receive (James 1:5-8).
This is the teaching so central to the Proverbs. “For those who find me (wisdom) find life and receive favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 8:35). Therefore, seek it diligently.
Second, embrace and accept wisdom. Don’t let wisdom be one of your sources to be filtered and tried. Let it be your trusted guide for all of life.
This is the teaching of the double minded person. The double minded person—one who wants a little of God and a lot of the world—will not receive wisdom. Wisdom is given freely for those who receive it with all their heart. It is for people who want more of God and His ways. “[The double minded person] should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:7).
Third, enjoy its benefits. The difference between wisdom and folly is like night and day. You can quickly and easily tell the difference.
Foolishness—following the way we want to go or the way that seems right to us—brings dissension and hardship. “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice“ (James 3:16).
To the contrary, God’s wisdom brings every good virtue. God’s wisdom is “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).
When you look at the dichotomy which James revealed, the question is, “Who would want anything other than God‘s wisdom?“
If I follow my own selfish way, I live in envy, anger, and strife. If I follow God‘s way of wisdom and submission, I experience holiness, peace, mercy, fruitfulness, and sincerity.
God’s way and wisdom is so much better. “Let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
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