ICS Daily Devotions
God’s Wisdom vs Earthly Wisdom
James 3:13-18 (NKJV) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Many highly educated people are able to testify that there have been many occasions in their lives that their wisdom has come to an impasse. All of us need the wisdom of God to deal with the ever changing environment that we live in. We need wisdom to deal with business partners, colleagues, our bosses from head office and government officials at different levels especially those of us who are working in China. We need wisdom to know when to speak, how to speak, what to say and probably at times, it is wiser not to speak at all unless required.
The passage above has differentiated earthly and heavenly wisdom for us. If wisdom is applied knowledge, then we need to have the word of God in us in order to apply biblical wisdom. The other kind of wisdom besides biblical wisdom is the spontaneous thoughts that come from God when we ask Him for wisdom as we pray. Therefore, there are three kinds of wisdom. Two are from God, and the other which is earthly wisdom is not.
• What kind of wisdom are you drawing upon to deal with the issues that you are facing daily?
• Who are you consulting to help you deal with these challenges?
• Are you able to differentiate the different kinds of wisdom and the outcomes that come with the decisions?
Does the Bible or God have the answer or the wisdom that help us deal with the different issues in life? The answer is definitely YES. Who are we consulting on those issues that we are facing if we are not asking God for wisdom? Is it earthly or heavenly wisdom? If you consult the wrong person or spirit, then the damage can be huge and have a lasting impact. The Bible says that there is safety in the multitude of counsel. It is referring to godly counsel. We need to be careful regarding whom we seek counsel from and who we have given the right to speak into our lives. God should be the first person whom we should be seeking wisdom from to deal with the challenges in life. We can share with the godly counsel if time permits regarding what we have received from the Lord. Wisdom begins with knowing God.
Sermon Series: Earthly or Heavenly Wisdom
