James 3:17-18

“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.”

So, what does Godly wisdom look like when it’s put into practice? James gives us a great list to work with and it starts with purity, which in this case, goes to motive. The best example is where the Greek word is used in 1 John 3:3 to describe Jesus! His motives were certainly pure – to love His Father, to care for His creation, to pave the way for salvation. What drives you? Why do you do what you do? The answer will reveal whether your motives are pure or not.

Peace loving is next and it’s a biggie! Romans 12:18 commands us to live at peace with everybody, as far as it depends on us. Do you pursue peace over your own desires? Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” and He meant it. Next is considerate, or better translated, reasonable. God is the perfect picture of this, especially considering the continuing onslaught of human sin. Are you a reasonable person or are you quick to go to arms?

Submissive is next and in our culture it has become an ugly word. Are you willing to submit yourself to authority? Are you willing to follow the rules? Are you willing to take your place on down the line? Next is being full of mercy. Do you forgive easily? Does your concern for the downtrodden lead to action? After these, James mentions good fruit. He addressed this in chapter two, but we need to examine our daily lives for its existence. What good fruit did you produce yesterday? What’s on the menu for today?

Finally, impartial and sincere are the last two attributes of heavenly wisdom. Impartial, in this case, means unwavering or consistent and it’s a wonderful thought. Sincere means without hypocrisy…genuine…not phony or fake. These are the marks of heavenly wisdom. Are they the marks of yours?