Tuesday, July 11th, 2023

Wisdom and humility are often viewed as two desirable qualities, but James of the Bible relates them as, essentially, two sides of the same coin. How should we understand that? What precedes our confession of faith is an understanding and appreciation of our own sin, how Jesus paid for it before we even knew him (but He knew us), and just how much we have been forgiven. It is a sobering moment to grasp the depths of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for us. As we then begin a walk with Jesus through the rest of our lives, gradually growing in wisdom and maturity by our relationship with Christ, the Bible makes clear that humility is the mark of a wise follower of Christ. We are wise in the Biblical sense when we humbly submit to God. This goes past the moment of salvation though, but to a daily submitting to His will rather than our own. We grow wise in humility, not in boastfulness, because we recognize that the change that is happening in our hearts is not of our own will or power, it is entirely of and by the Lord. In truth, we could not boast if we tried. We arrived to this day by the grace of the Lord, not our own power. So, when James asks, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” He is showing that the heart of the wise is humble in their wisdom because that wisdom has come by the hand of the Lord, in spite of our sinful pasts and continued sinful behaviors. Wisdom is understanding just how much we each have been forgiven and how much we each have been blessed by the kindness and faithfulness of the Lord. Wisdom is daily submitting to God’s will because, in humility, we know it is perfect and our will is wrought with fleshly desires. Today, praise the Lord for what He has done for you and submit to His authority in the humility that comes from wisdom.

“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. “ – James 3:13 NIV