“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct, let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” – James 3:13
I want to take you back to when James wrote this passage. In the time period of James, Christians dealt with much more persecution than modern day Christians. While the specific trials are unclear, many have said that the audience James spoke to had been forced to live in exile far from their homes. Thus, the reason why James had to remind and encourage them to still live according to their faith in the Lord!
James reminds us that through wisdom, we are able to face & triumph over the trials of this world.
Wisdom is an interesting gift. It’s a gift that God guarantees to give us, no strings attached…
ONLY if we ask!
James 1:5 — If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
WHAT IS WISDOM ? AND HOW DO WE PORTRAY THAT WE HAVE IT?
Here me, as I say this: “Your good works done in meekness is the only proof that you possess wisdom.”
Matthew 11:19 says that wisdom was justified by her works.
Only good words done in humility, which means acknowledging that we deserve NONE of the blessings that God has bestowed on us, demonstrate that we possess TRUE wisdom. Without this wisdom it would be impossible for us to obey God in gratitude for our salvation.
If we become overly proud from our good works, we run the risk of placing trust in our own abilities rather than in the God who gave us the abilities.
As you continue to do your good works, ask the Lord to help you not to perform for the applause of others but to humbly seek rewards only from Him.
Source: Mikel French Ministries
