The Meekness of Wisdom
Overview
James, the brother of Christ, and the elder of the Jerusalem church, speaks decisively on wisdom. In the opening of his letter to the Jewish diaspora, he niches it within a lengthy discourse on the blessing of temptations. That concept, often considered an oxymoron, is surely a discussion for another time; he directly instructs how one gains wisdom—ask God, but ask in faith (James 1:5).
Biblical References
The Bible itself is full of discussion on wisdom and the comparison and contrast of the wisdom of God with the wisdom of men. The latter is a contradiction in terms as we find that wisdom is of God. James stated this, and David (Psalm 111:10), as well as his son Solomon (Proverbs 2:6), declared it centuries before. Paul, the apostle and scholar, had a lot to say about wisdom and lists it as a gift of the Holy Spirit in I Corinthians 12:8.
Spiritual Gifts
It was while doing some background reading on the spiritual gifts that I came across James’ revisit on wisdom in chapter 3. He used a term that fascinated me and I wanted to explore it deeper. Here, he takes the concept of the acquisition of wisdom to a different level. In chapter 1, as mentioned, he outlines how one attains wisdom. You ask God, Who gives it liberally because of faith. It is a gift. In chapter 3, however, James outlines the application of the gift of wisdom to avoid its misuse. Thus, the purpose and use in wielding such a powerful gift is for it to be done in a certain spirit.
Correct Use of Wisdom
He undergirds this application with the term “meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). At first glance, it is almost counterintuitive. Perhaps that is because we have too often been witness to the wisdom of man and have used that experience as our yardstick. To help us grasp this concept, he immediately contrasts the two types of wisdom, beginning in verse 14. Hence, the wisdom of man is displayed as knowledge corrupted by envying, strife, lies, sensuality, and devilishness. Wisdom that we get from God, upon request, is pure, gentle, of a cooperative bent, merciful, genuine, and with positive results. Interestingly, peace seeking is at the core of the application of wisdom and is a fruit of the Spirit that is seen through Scripture (Psalm 34:14, Romans 12:18, and Hebrews 12:14).
Recap
James has made particular strides to show that although wisdom comes to some by the allotment of spiritual gifts; it is available to those who ask God in faith. Paul tells us to covet the best gifts in I Corinthians 12:31. We all could use a little more wisdom on our Christian journey.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your gifts and for choosing to bless us with them. We thank You and seek Your gift of wisdom. We want to be filled by your Spirit to minister to others and to help give them insight into Your will for their lives. Give us the humility to handle Your blessings. Please give us the meekness of wisdom so that we will have discernment and maturity to counsel and instruct. As You fill us, may the outflow of our lives be only for Your glory, for we ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Gratitude is an Attitude
It is a Christian virtue to express gratitude. As Christians, to us, this is synonymous with expressing thanks to God. It has become so deep-rooted in us it is natural and almost reflexive. We sing songs of expressing gratefulness or thanksgiving to the Provider of our very breath.
Why then has gratitude in its basic form taken off with great momentum in mainstream society, even for those that don’t overtly express a belief or dependence on God? Is it because they have discovered that there is an added benefit to being grateful? In secular and other positive-thinking circles, gratitude is a component of healthy living. It is almost obvious that if one has a negative outlook on life, then one will decrease their rate of success. Pick up your average daily planner in the bookstore and you most likely will find a section for documenting gratitude.
In the past few years, I trained in three courses that had gratitude as an essential component. Two courses were Christian based, and the other was a professional social media online training. The latter, produced by LinkedIn Learning, aimed at making writers more productive. After all, if one writes for a living and doesn’t churn out the books, articles, or blogs, one starves! So, alongside developing routines, healthy diets, meditation, and brain-wave manipulation, there was the concept of gratitude. The premise was that if one starts the day with a negative mindset jaded by email, texts, and bad news, then one hampers their productivity. One is writing from a so-called “dark place” where ideas don’t flow as well or in an uplifting fashion. The solution then is to start the day by making a gratitude list of ten (10) things to reframe one’s thinking and set the mind up to produce from a positive writing reservoir.
The other course is the Nedley Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program®. Dr. Neil Nedley presents outstanding evidence and makes gratitude one of the eight (8) key components to developing a strong and healthy frontal lobe, the seat of spirituality and the will. He recommends identifying five (5) items of gratitude, but the daily checklist gives room for three (3).
CREATION Health®, a healthy living program designed and produced by Florida Hospital parks the concept of gratitude under its acronym “O” or “Outlook”. So, along with Choice, Rest, Environment, Activity, Trust, Interpersonal Relationships, and Nutrition, it is a vital component of true healthy living. Its “prescription” in this category recommends not only writing one (1) item of gratitude each day, but to whom one expresses gratitude. Therefore, although there are a variety of methods of acknowledging and documenting gratitude, the common thread is that the conscious act of doing so is imperative to realize the benefits.
What are the benefits of gratitude?
Certainly, we recognize that showing appreciation to God is essential. He does not make it conditional for His grace and mercy to be extended towards us, but it definitely enhances our love for and relationship with Him when we show gratitude, gratefulness, and thanks. Dr. Nedley notes one will have a calm state of being and not only recognize but exemplify a positive disposition, which includes the outward expression of a smile. By changing one’s mental perception, Florida Hospital outlines, the body follows suit. There is a boost to not only one’s demeanor, but one’s motivation and joie de vivre. This emotional and physical elevation contributes to the other categories within the acronym and directly or indirectly results in a well-rounded individual.
We have seen that although there may be many variables in play within a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, and even economic construct, which may or may not be static, the recognition and change of an often overlooked changeable aspect of gratitude may make a world of difference. So on this Thanksgiving Day, choose to be grateful, give thanks, and make gratitude your new attitude!
Change me, Lord!
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
and renew a right spirit within me.”