“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” – James 3:17
What is wisdom? Who is wise? That can be difficult to answer in a complicated age. Fortunately, the Bible is very clear about what godly wisdom looks like! Godly wisdom looks like what this verse describes. Look for these qualities in a speaker and you will find God’s wisdom. Godly wisdom looks like purity and holiness. It looks like gentleness. It looks like openness to thoughtful, reasoned discussion. It looks like a concern for mercy and blessing toward others. It looks impartial, not playing favorites based on any category. It’s backed by a life (public and private) that is consistent with the words being spoken.
If something doesn’t look or sound like these things, it isn’t wisdom. It doesn’t matter how good it might sound to you. It doesn’t matter how famous the speaker or how many followers he or she has. It doesn’t matter how much money or power they have. It doesn’t matter how much the message might thrill you. It simply isn’t godly wisdom. Period.
Godly wisdom doesn’t fight loudly and proudly on social media. Godly wisdom doesn’t seek to crush anyone arguing with it or questioning it. Godly wisdom isn’t afraid of having facts checked. Godly wisdom doesn’t need to shout louder when someone disagrees with it. Why? Because it’s wisdom and it can be confident in itself! It doesn’t sound like the great debater of the age with slick, manipulative arguments and excellent production values. All godly wisdom flows out of Jesus Christ and all godly wisdom looks and sounds like Jesus Christ. Pursue godly wisdom. #FollowJesus