My thoughts on James 3:13-17

James 3:13-17 “Who is wise an understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hears do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.”

James is very bold in speaking of the evil that exists in our hearts. In these few verses he clearly portrays the relationship the things we think and say have with the condition of our hearts. Basically, our hearts are evil and full of nothing that is good. Specifically this verse points out that our hearts contain bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. These are our motives for the things we say and do if we are not living by the Spirit. James says that when we are living out of the flesh or according to that jealousy and selfishness then wickedness and disorder will occur. BUT there is a solution to this. If we begin to live by the wisdom that is granted to us “from above” or from God we will be full of peace, gentleness, reason, mercy, sincerity, and so on. In a nutshell: even though our hearts are attractive to us they are actually full of wickedness and until we let Christ live through us we will not bear good fruit. The only fruit we can produce in and of ourselves is selfish. 

Application: Today I am going to ask five different people what the greatest piece of wisdom God has given them in their life so far.