I’m not sure I realized there are two kinds of biblical wisdom. The first kind is “earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” It leads to bitter envy and selfish ambition. With that envy and ambition come “disorder and every evil practice” according to James 3.
Leads me to think that so much earthly success can be attributed to that earthly wisdom. I immediately think about those men, and women, who have built tremendous financial wealth and enjoy the power that comes with it. For so many of them, there’s never enough. As T. Boone Picken’s said, the first billion is the hardest. I know nothing about T. Boone’s spiritual walk, but I think the title of his book is enlightening to the mindset that drives him, and others like him.  Sadly, it’s insight into what drives me much of the time.

I admit, I have often looked around and wished for more. More money, to make life less stressful, and to do more good things for the Lord of course. More success at work, to broaden my spiritual impact in the workplace of course. On more than one occasion, I have played the “If I won the $100,000,000 lottery, what would I do with it?” game. Of course, the first thing on my list is always tithing and fully funding a couple of international missions my family works with.   Then I get to move on to the fun part – what I would do for me. While it’s a fun game for a few minutes, it’s all too easy for me to end up really wishing for more, a lot more. Worldly wisdom thinking for sure.

So what about the other wisdom? James says 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.” He also says we should show that wisdom “by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” I have to admit, I’m much closer to earthly wisdom than heavenly wisdom as I compare them.

Let’s take a dive into heavenly wisdom. It’s first of all pure. Pure means “not mixed with anything else” or “uncontaminated”. That’s powerful. We are to be uncontaminated, we are to be pure. With all the words of Christ regarding money, it strikes me that perhaps purity and wealth is a really tough combination. Not impossible, just a camel going through the eye of a needle tough.

Heavenly wisdom is peace-loving, considerate, and submissive. None of those words are likely to be used when someone describes me. Not that I’m a combative, rude, overbearing person most of the time, but on the day in day out scale, I’m much closer to rude and overbearing than considerate and submissive. These words speak of a deep inner peace and confidence. A peace and confidence that comes from knowing Christ. Really knowing Christ. A surface- I know who Christ is- kind of knowledge will never produce peace and a gently submissive spirit.

Heavenly wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit.  Mercy is not something that I think about often as a component of wisdom.  Mercy is compassion or forgiveness towards someone when it is in your power to punish or harm them.  It’s exactly what we want/need/require from God.  It’s not something I think about dispensing to others.  Yet Christ calls us to be merciful to others in Luke 6.  What does mercy look like in life?  What should it look like?  Good fruit is a little easier for me.  A good tree produces good fruit, a tree that does not produce good fruit should be cut down.  In the end, all that lasts of my life will be the good fruit I have done.  Not my money, my house, my clothes, nothing of this world will matter at all.  Not at all.  Only what I have done for the Kingdom.

Lastly, heavenly wisdom is impartial and sincere.  Much like mercy, I’m not sure I would ever associate impartial and sincere with real wisdom.  Impartial is being fair and just.  Sincere is being free from pretense or deceit.  Pretty straightforward actually.  Be fair, be just, be who you claim to be.

I think all of us Christ followers could use a little more wisdom.  If you are lacking it, as I am, we are told to ask for it.  And believe that He will give it to us.  I do want to be wise.  Not as the world defines wisdom, but as the Word defines it.