Seven Marks of God's Wisdom
- Published Jul 15, 2017
"Life is hard. It’s harder when you’re stupid.”
We chuckle at that because we all know it’s true. Some people claim John Wayne said those words. I don’t know if the Duke did or didn’t (the line doesn’t appear in any of his movies), but it sounds like something he could have said.
Let’s flip that statement around into something positive:“Life is hard, but it’s easier when you have God’s wisdom.”That’s better, isn’t it? And it’s just as true as the first statement. Our problem is, we don’t know how to find the wisdom we need. That’s where the little book of James comes in handy. He started his letter with a wonderful promise:
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT).
I love that phrase: “Ask our generous God.” That’s good news for all of us. If you need wisdom, ask for it! That’s all you have to do. The hardest part is admitting you need God’s help. If you are ready to say, “Lord, I’ve made a mess of things,” he’s ready and willing to help you out.
Remember that knowledge and wisdom aren’t the same. Knowledge refers to the accumulation of facts. Wisdom gives you understanding of what the facts mean. You could be the smartest person in the world and still be a fool. Anyone can gain knowledge, but only God can give you wisdom.What does God’s wisdom look like? How do we know it when we see it? James 3:17-18 gives us seven marks of God’s wisdom:
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."
Let’s look at the seven marks of God’s wisdom and see how we measure up.
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