James 3: Real Wisdom

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” -James 3:13

Defining wisdom takes a wise person. James, the first leader of the Jerusalem Church, offers a deeply spiritual perspective that contrasts what often first comes to mind when we think of someone who is wise.

We tend to think of wisdom as acquired knowledge; someone who we could call a walking encyclopedia. James, however, presents wisdom as the result of a certain way of living.

Specifically, he calls a person wise who lives a good (or noble) life and who performs humble acts of service to others. According to this definition, the wisest people in our world are not scientists, engineers, or inventors. Instead, the wise are those who let me merge in traffic, help my kids learn in school, those who serve the poor in my community, and those who work with the sick and elderly because of their love of Jesus.

When I was young, my heroes were often athletes or celebrities. As I learn more about God’s way of life, my heroes are those who help children, people who fight poverty, modern abolitionists who fight modern slavery, and missionaries who serve in places where speaking about Jesus could cost them their life. This is true wisdom.

+++

Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.