Day 8 - James 3:13-18

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.


Terrie's Comments:
Today the part that is catching my eye is beginning in verse 14.  "if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart" 15 "jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom.  Such things are earthly, unspiritual and demonic" 16 "there you will find disorder and evil of every kind"

I am not sure about you but whenever something that is so common in our world as jealousy and selfishness are linked with the demonic and evil it causes my heart to stop for a second!  How often common things that are accepted as just a part of our lives here on earth are actually devices that the enemy uses to keep us in bondage to him?  I am not comfortable with the thought that my life could be used by the enemy for evil.  God please help me to flee from jealousy and selfishness like the plague that it is!!

There is a way to be free from our jealousy and selfishness... fix our eyes on Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit who is alive in us will give us all that we need to walk in heavenly wisdom.  When we walk in heavenly wisdom in accordance with God's word we will be peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others.  We will be full of mercy and we won't show favoritism, we will always be sincere.  We will be peacemakers and will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of rightousness.

Tori's Comments:

So I am still not complete sure what wisdom really is. But I do understand that it is something we use to follow God step by step in my life, walking with Him wholly.


Heavenly wisdom simply put is not only understanding the word of God but also being able to apply God's word in our lives.  

The wise man built his house on the rock.  He was wise because he not only knew that building a house on a firm foundation was a good thing to do in theory but he actually did it.  If he had just made plans to build his house on the rock but did not do it, he may have been a man with plenty of knowledge but not wise enough to apply that knowledge, therefore it would not have benefited his life at all.


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!