Week 50 James
A couple of years ago I read James in fifteen minutes. I don’t remember the circumstances. I was likely in hurry-up mode, trying to finish by December 31. Fifteen minutes – nine hundred seconds – doesn’t give you too much time on any one of James’ 108 verses. Only about 8.3 seconds per verse on average.
This year I’m ahead of myself so I’ve had three days to read James.
One thing I noticed was the contrast James made in chapter three between two kinds of wisdom. James described one kind of wisdom as being: earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. The other kind of wisdom is a kind that: comes down from heaven.
So the question about where I’m sourcing my wisdom is pretty important.
Then James goes on to point out that different wisdoms from different sources also produce different outcomes. Three times in verses fourteen, fifteen and sixteen James says that the this-worldly type of wisdom is jealous and selfishly ambitious. By contrast the wisdom that comes 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 good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.
So according to James wisdom isn’t just a free-floating mental capacity, a big bag of intellectual smartnesses. It’s quite a bit more comprehensive than what I know. It includes who I am.
Note: quotes from James 3:15 & 17-18 (NLT).