“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6
Ever think how different your life would be if you led off with the pursuit of wisdom in every decision? How much easier many decisions would be if we would just begin by asking, “Is this wise?”
Wisdom is of the utmost importance. But here is the reality. Each and every one of us believes in some form or fashion that we are pursuing wisdom. Christianity is not the only world religion that teaches the importance of pursuing wisdom. You can be on polar opposite ends of an argument with someone and both of you feel like you are speaking from a place of wisdom. Every hot button topic being debated in our culture right now has outspoken leaders debating from what they feel like is a place of wisdom. But James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him as of God…” Sadly, I’m not convinced that many of us or our leaders spend time asking God for wisdom.
How do we know true wisdom? How do we know the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God? James gives us some great insight in today’s Scripture reference. (By the way, James is the half-brother of Jesus, which means he is one of the greatest cases that Jesus is who He says he is.) James shows us that God is generous with his wisdom. His desire for you and me is that we grow in wisdom. Why? So we can make good decisions? Yes, in part. But more importantly, He knows that if we grow in true wisdom, we are growing in Him. Because, you see, God IS wisdom. Everything about Him is wise and good. We are foolish if we believe that we are wise apart from God. He is the author and creator of all true wisdom and His wisdom will not be amended, changed or overruled.
Look at verse 6: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting….” That makes many people feel guilt because they have doubts. But God is not mad at you if you have doubts. He knows you have doubts. It’s natural to have doubts. He knows that there is so much about Him and His ways that you and I cannot understand. What he IS saying is we shouldn’t doubt that God’s way is the best way. Every time. Our human wisdom is never going to be a firm foundation in comparison to the wisdom of God!
If you want to know true wisdom, look to Jesus. He is the righteousness of God offered to us through the great exchange of the cross. When we look at the wisdom of God revealed in Jesus Christ, there is nothing that we can boast about in our lives. The only boasting that could ever be on our lips is to boast in the Lord and what He has done to invite us into His kingdom! Believing in that truth is the beginning of true wisdom!
Taken from a sermon by George Wright, Senior Pastor, Cedarcrest Church
