Skip to main content

James 3:15

Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
(NIV)

Point number one: There is a "wisdom" that is not right. There is a "wisdom" that does not come from God, but from the Devil. This "wisdom" exists, and James seems to be making the point that it is easy to think that it is true wisdom, like the stuff we find in Proverbs, but it's NOT!

Point number two: This "wisdom" that we are putting the quotes around is a wisdom that, from the previous verse, is about selfish ambition and bitter envy. It is boasted about and in the end, the truth is denied by this kind of "wisdom."

What do we do with this? Start by being aware that not all things that can be called wisdom are true wisdom that is from God. I think that James is going to give us more in the next few verses, but start by being aware of this truth. Don't deny the truth, be aware of it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 119:10

With my whole heart I have searched for You; Let me not wander from Your commandments. -Psalm 119:10 (Translation by Jay E. Adams, in his book Counsel from Psalm 119) Can you say with this psalmist, that you have searched for God with your whole heart? Is your prayer, the prayer that he prayed? "O Lord, don't let me wander from Your Word!" In this blog, I hope to post daily (or nearly daily) posting from scripture. I don't plan on adding much of my own commentary, maybe just a statement or two; sometimes more, sometimes less. But if you would like to add some commentary of your own, or if you would like to share what a passage has meant to you, please feel free.

Hebrews 11:24-25

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. (NIV) Moses had the chance to align himself with the rich and the famous. He had the opportunity to really make it in this world. To be the son of Pharaoh's daughter, the possibilities could have seemed endless. The world wants to paint that picture for us. A place that is endless in possibility. But Moses knew that the pleasures of sin only last a season. He knew that to truly have endless possibility, it would require the alignment with the people of God, so that is exactly what he did. How did he know to do this? How did he know that he couldn't continue on with pharoah? The answer to that is Faith . It was faith that brought sight to this man. It is faith that will allow you to see clearly in your decision making process. Some other thoughts about this pas...

John 1:12

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,  (John 1:12, ESV) There are a few words in this verse that need some explanation. Let's think about the word, "receive" first.  It is a word that is quite often translated "take".  It means to grab ahold of or hold on to.   In other words, all sorts of people who grab ahold of Jesus... What about "believe"?  It is the verb form of "faith".  Sort of like, "they faithed in his name."  Trust is a part of this word, but it also includes perspective.  This is how you see things.  How you view things.  Your core understanding of the universe.  To believe in the name of Jesus is not to simply believe that He existed and that He did the things that He did.  No.  It is to see Jesus for who He is... Lord and Savior of all.  God of very God.  Creator, Sustainer, our only Hope. How about the word, "right"?  Nea...