James 3:13 NIV
[13] Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
Yesterday's devotion laid out the value of wisdom in my walk with God. The reverent and worshipful fear of God is presented as the beginning of wisdom. The inner conviction would definitely be made manifest by the outer profession. Whatever it is that I have spent time storing up in my heart must be revealed in my interactions, relationships and engagements with people. That is the thrust of the verse above, which starts with a question that I must answer, asking if indeed, I am wise and understanding. That identity must be sorted out first, before I can go on to review the demands that lie at the rest of the verse.
It is a reflection of the choices I need to make. Have I submitted my heart to the control and influence of the Holy One, the One who gives wisdom? Can He direct my pursuits and priorities to line up with His will and purpose for my life? Do I understand His Word and will, as well as the direction He wants me to take in order to arrive at the destination He has planned for me? Well, the answers to the questions above would be revealed by the daily decisions and actions I take. The good life referred to above is one where God is able to direct and control affairs, so the end-product looks like God. How can I serve and follow a good God, and my life will produce evil?
The good life is reflected by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. See how my deeds and actions are again defined in the light of wisdom. I am saved, but kept on earth in order to make known the God who saves and helps. The people of the world need to know this God, and who else is best positioned to show off, than the one who God has helped? Is God the One guiding my daily actions? Do I act out of pride or a sense of self-sufficiency and independence? Pride can never produce acts of wisdom that line up with God's will. Let God work in me, so that His life can flow out of me. God's time of favour is here.
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