Two Kinds of Wisdom.

James tells us there are two kinds of wisdom, wisdom from the world and wisdom from God. He also tells us how to tell the difference between the two. They stand side by side in glaring contrast in their motives and outcomes.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
 James 1:5-8

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. (Wisdom from God)

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. (Wisdom of the world)

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

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 reap a harvest of righteousness.
 James 3:13-18

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

James names, "selfish ambition" and "bitter envy" as worldly wisdom. In our culture, who is admired? Those who get ahead, those who become rich and have many possessions. Have you heard the saying, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins?"  Actually, this has probably been true of almost all cultures. No matter how they get to the top, the top people are envied and admired. How did they get there? Most likely through envy themselves and selfish ambition. 

James knows this. The wisdom from God is nothing like the wisdom of the world; when you look at Jesus, you see wisdom in action. One reason people make fun of Christians is they don't understand God's wisdom. It seems foolish to them to put God and others first. But God can open anyone's eyes if they will ask Him. He gives generously to all, James says. And I love what James says next, "without finding fault." 

We have a God who understands how our brains work and what we have been taught and seen in our lives. He doesn't find fault, he only asks that we come to him for true wisdom, which will result in peace and love instead of "disorder and evil."

Years of Pain.

I have fibromyalgia. I've had it for about 20 years. I've learned that for me the pain comes from histamines in food and of course in different plants. Exhaustion is the worst symptom because I take care of most of the pain by anti-histamines and with cold pills.

After these years of being sick, I sometimes get angry and close to bitter about it. If I eat the wrong food or go to a restaurant I get weaker and sicker. It is almost impossible for me to stay on an anti-histamine diet every day. I'm so weak now I need my husband's help to go grocery shopping.

Anyway, I was kind of upset yesterday because I'd been extra sick for a long time; just going from the bed to the sofa; needing a chair by the stove so I don't have to stand too long when I'm cooking. So, I was feeling angry, but I know that gets me nowhere so I had my morning reading and talking with God. I asked him for patience and joy, which he lovingly supplied. I felt really happy.

But again, I woke up this morning and immediately felt angry again about my illness. I reached for my Bible and the first verse I read said,

"For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise.
For after a little while, he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. If anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him."   Hebrews 10:36-38

I smiled, because God always gives me verses at just the right time. Endurance - yeah, I'm not too good at that. I usually want to chuck everything in and give up. In fact, I have longed to leave this earth and be with God. But I have to wait until the time comes for that.

Paul says:
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  Romans 5:3-5

I remember when I read that verse years ago when I was trying to understand why we suffer. I thought, "Who cares about endurance? I just want to get off this earth and finally feel good." 

I've always known that being full of love for God and others was the most important fruit of the Spirit. I don't mind suffering in order to be loving; but I don't want to suffer in order to have endurance. It doesn't seem worth any amount of suffering to me.

But of course, I must be wrong because God is always right and so endurance must be important. Here is a definition:

endurance

noun

1. the act of enduring
2. the power of enduring; specif.,
   1. ability to last, continue, or remain
   2. ability to stand pain, distress, fatigue, etc.; fortitude
3. duration
4. RARE that which is endured; hardship

James 1:3-4  says, "For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."   Apparently, endurance has a perfect result!

The word, endurance, does remind me of the parable of the sower that Jesus told to the people. Some people who come to God eventually leave Him because of persecution, suffering, riches, worries, desires and the cares of this life. Mark 4.

If these people had endured to the end of their lives, they would have been saved. But they didn't endure. Jesus said they had no depth, no root. So, even though they had first accepted Jesus with joy - they didn't endure and were lost.

Everyone on earth suffers if they live long enough. No one is exempt; but God brings good out of everything and the good thing is patience and endurance.

Yes, I need endurance. We all need endurance and we can get it from only one place:

"Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement allow you to live in harmony with one another, according to the command of Christ Jesus."  Romans 15:5 

Bible Mirrors.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

"St. Paul says that no human eye can see God at all except as an image seen as it were behind the mirror. Darkly; rather, in a riddle. God is said to have spoken to Moses "by means of riddles"..."

We cannot know everything about God now. We see God by faith and not by sight. When we go to heaven we will see and know him as he really is.

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was." James 1:22-24

"He forgets either his spots, blemishes, and imperfections; or his comeliness and beauty; the features of his face, be they comely or not: so a bare hearer of the word, who is not concerned to practice what he hears, while he is hearing, he observes some things amiss in himself, and some excellencies in Christ; but, when the discourse is over, he goes his way, and thinks no more of either."

 "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord..." 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Pulpit Commentary says these words "are, in fact, a description of "the beatific vision." like the one Moses saw on Mount Sinai when he received the ten commandments from God.  Now, we see Jesus, and what we see changes us.

 are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18 cont...

"The present tense implies a gradual transfiguration, a mystical and spiritual change which is produced in us while we contemplate Christ. From glory to glory."


quotations from:
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/james/1.htm
 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/2_corinthians/3.htm