James teaches us today that there are two types of wisdom. I struggled with thinking about this at first, as I don’t think of worldly wisdom as “wisdom” at all because I think of wisdom as thinking or seeing from God’s perspective. There are, without a doubt, worldly ways of thinking, and as we see with the fruits of the spirit versus the works of the flesh, what we are producing shows where we are rooted. In our lives today, as we look for peace, where are we getting our wisdom?

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Good morning! It’s great to be back with you after a few days away. I hope you’ve found meaningful rhythms in your life as we have as a team. Now, let’s get back to our rhythm in James.

Today, we’re finishing James 3, reading verses 13-18. James contrasts two kinds of wisdom—one from above and one from the world.

Worldly wisdom is driven by envy, selfish ambition, and disorder. It divides, fuels conflict, and promotes self-interest. In contrast, godly wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful, and full of good fruit. It seeks unity and is willing to yield.

That phrase—willing to yield—stands out. In a world obsessed with winning and being right, godly wisdom calls us to step aside for the sake of peace. It’s countercultural, difficult, and requires God’s strength, but it’s the way of Christ.

James reminds us that a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What are we sowing? Are we planting peace, mercy, and humility? Or are we sowing division and selfish ambition? The fruit we reap reveals the kind of wisdom we follow.

Let’s seek wisdom from above today—wisdom that looks like Jesus.

Thanks for being with me. Have a great day!