Eight Characteristics of Wisdom
The Scriptures teach us that knowledge has the potential to puff us up. But wisdom has the opposite affect—it makes us humble. Knowledge puffs; wisdom un-puffs. Which means it’s often wiser to admit you’re wrong. Ever been in an argument and eventually realized you were wrong, but instead of admitting it, you tried to explain how your wrongness was right? There’s a better way. James 3:17 gives us eight ways to know whether or not we’re being wise.
1. The wisdom that comes from heaven is… pure. Do I need to spin, tweak, force, or fudge in order to make a decision work? Then maybe it’s not pure; maybe it’s not really wise.
2. The wisdom that comes from heaven is… peace-loving. God’s wisdom leads to unity and peace. Does the decision I’m considering promote peace? Then it’s wise.
3. The wisdom that comes from heaven is… considerate. To think God-wise is to think others-wise. It’s the wisdom of God to put others before you, and to esteem others as more important than yourself.
4. The wisdom that comes from heaven is… submissive. God’s wisdom makes us easy to live with and work with. The submissive person is willing to hear all sides of a question. He can disagree without being disagreeable. She is “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). Many people think that stubbornness is conviction and strength. But when God’s wisdom is at work there is a willingness to listen, think, pray, and obey whatever God reveals. “Yielding to persuasion” is another way to define wise submission.
5. The wisdom that comes from heaven is… full of mercy. To be “full” of something means to be “controlled by it.” The person who follows God’s wisdom is controlled by mercy. Does judgment control your thinking, or mercy?
6. The wisdom that comes from heaven… bears good fruit. It’s easy to argue and debate. But God’s wisdom is practical; it produces good works. When God’s wisdom is real in us, we won’t just debate; we’ll do good.
7. The wisdom that comes from heaven is… impartial. There will be no prejudice in the pews when God’s wisdom is in operation. Rich, poor, male, female, black, white, Republican, Democrat, Palestinian, Jew, are all one when in Christ.
8. The wisdom that comes from heaven is… sincere. When God’s wisdom is at work, there is openness and honesty. Pretending is unwise. While transparency often means vulnerability, it’s the wiser option.
So, are you wise? Put your daily decisions to these 8 tests and you’ll be much wiser for it.
Mark
wonderful definitions of wisdom, i am studing on wisdom, thanks.
This is wonderful. We were reading about King Solomon and wisdom in our homeschool Bible/History lesson today. I searched for “What is Wisdom” and your blog post came up.