It Starts Small

God’s Word provides detailed explanation of Heavenly wisdom, which leads to godliness, or earthy demonic wisdom which leads to corruption.

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James speaks in the previous verse:

Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom

James 3:13

James asked his readers who they thought qualified as wise and understanding. His answer is that wise people live wisely, participating in good deeds with great humility. Then he warns us of what corrupted wisdom looks like. He says a person should not assume they are wise if they carry bitter envy and selfish ambition in their hearts. He says they certainly should not boast about it.

This raises a really fair question: Why on earth would anyone boast about being consumed with bitterness, envy, and selfish ambition?

Think about the corrupted world we live in today. What kind of career and motivational advice do we hear everyday? A worldly life coach will tell you to look around, decide what you want in life, and then make a plan to go get it. The world says a successful person is the person who knows what they want, and gets it in the end. It is a natural approach to many of us.

The problem here is that such an approach to life is built on envy: “I want what they have.” It implies that there is a benefit to selfish ambition: “I will do whatever it takes to get for myself.” In the next verse, James describes the characteristic of corrupted wisdom:

 ¹⁵ Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 

James 3:15-16

Almost all of the New Testament authors warn against this worldly wisdom and approach to life. Thinking in such a short-sighted way is in complete contrast to the life God calls His people to follow. John defined this life:

¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.

1 John 2:16

James is pretty clear – PRIDE has no room in the believers heart or life. PRIDE is the corrupted worlds way of living.

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If you are following along in the Journal, the back pages have a table of Heavenly Wisdom vs. Corrupted Wisdom. Today’s scripture is in the blocks under the column Corrupted Wisdom. If you get stuck, you can visit this page and see my example.