The Wisdom from Above (II)

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17, New King James Version).

This is the key Bible verse for our “Come and See” devotional today.

The first part of this series of devotionals stated that wisdom is the most important possession that a man or woman can have. Indeed, wisdom is the only weapon that can prevent us from being swept away and seduced by the wiles of the devil. This is made clear in the Bible: “and wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times and strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is his treasure.” (Isaiah 33:6, 21st Century King James Version).

Apostle Paul was a man of many talents who was involved in a large number of exploits. His writings were described by Apostle Peter as sometimes being hard to understand although one should bear in mind that Paul’s exploits were a direct result of the operation of divine wisdom in his life. This was acknowledged by Peter who wrote: “bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” (2 Peter 3:15, New International Version).

Our own success and recognition in life is strongly dependent upon the depth of our own divine wisdom and the way we apply it to address our problems in life. Our rewards are directly proportional to the success we have in answering life’s questions. This point is illustrated by the example of Daniel and the slave boy Joseph, who showed great wisdom and as a result, became celebrities in a foreign land. They both solved difficult puzzles, such as the interpretation of dreams, as confirmed by the words of Pharaoh concerning Joseph: “since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are.” (Genesis 41:39, New Living Translation).

God retains all the winning wisdom but He gives generously to anyone who asks Him: “ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7a, New International Version). This winning wisdom is a spirit and is available only through the Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to Jesus Christ and states: “and the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” (Isaiah 11:2, King James Version).

This Wisdom from above is not arrogant and will always attract favour because Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and all the people. This Superior Wisdom has its foundation in the fear of God as the Bible emphasises: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, New International Version).

Let us pray: “Father, give me wisdom to succeed in facing my trials in life,” in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

This message was brought to you by Evangelical Ministries International (EMI). We know this message has been a blessing to you. Please share your testimonies with us by visiting our website www.evangelicalministries.org or contact us on info@evangelicalministries.org. God bless you!