"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist,confusion and every evil thing are there. 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."
God is wisdom. The pillars of the earth were placed, the seas and mountains formed, the humans and animals, built with dust, all using God's wisdom. We are made in the same image as this God. Not the exact image, for we are not the original copy. However, having the veil that was in front of our eyes torn in two at the revelation of Christ's sacrifice, now puts the responsibility, and privilege, of reflecting God's wisdom in our lives. Will I have the power to use wisdom at the scale of God? No, not by any means. But, I do get to use wisdom to make eternal changes. How do I begin to establish this wisdom as a way of life? By fulfilling exactly what this passage speaks. Good conduct. How many times I have found myself making a stupid mistake and learning from it I can't count. From not eating breakfast before school and suffering all the way through till lunch, to getting careless cleaning the Ninja blender and slicing open a finger. The level of pain experienced through my mistakes has had a direct effect on how quickly I learn to stop being stupid and be ‘wise and understanding.’ It took much longer to get myself to eat breakfast in the morning than to learn not to cut open a finger. There's something in common with both situations. It stemmed from my own carelessness. Carelessness is a direct line to the envy and self-seeking and is the brother to earthly, sensual and demonic wisdom. I wasn't respecting the Holy Temple God has given me, so I didn't take the time and care to eat breakfast. I was rushing to get the dishes done so I could get to the things I wanted to do, therefore I ended up cutting my finger when I was unfocused. The Lord desires for us to walk circumspectly. I can’t do that when my mind is fixed on my own life and schedule. I should never rush to get to what I want to do. The Lord wants me to appreciate the time I'm gifted every moment, which is exactly where He is. The here and now. He wants to speak to me, and spend time with me, and be involved in all I do. Yet I find myself always rushing from His presence to get to my task list, then wonder why I'm burnt out so quickly. God doesn't want us to rush. The lyrics from a song remind me how we should all be with the Lord. “Im not in a hurry when it comes to your spirit, when it comes to your presence.” May we all learn to not rush from His presence, but to spend every moment with Him, and through that, experience life to the fullest. It is in those moments of greatest frustration where I sought the Lord for wisdom and He showed me the way, and each time I would find myself knowing the purity, peace, gentleness, etc. It is in those moments where I sought my self and as a result, ran to God in the midst of my failures, that God showed Himself in the most incredible ways. And while it sucks in the moment to make a mistake, when I look to God He grants me wisdom I forever will live by. I’m reminded of a phrase from Steven Furtick, “Release, Receive, Respond, Repeat.”
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