James (W7D4) Wisdom Defined

Week 7. Thursday: Wisdom Defined

PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.

READ: James 3:17

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words

Pure (Greek: hagnos): reverent, clean from every fault, modest, immaculate
Peace-loving (Greek: eirēnikos): a sincere desire to create and maintain peace
Considerate (Greek: epieikēs): gentle, mild, kind, fair (Philippians 4:5; Titus 3:1-2)
Submissive (Greek: eupeithēs): Submissive is not a very good translation here. A better translation would be reasonable or open to reason. Followers of Jesus should be reasonable and willing to yield to others when necessary.
Full of mercy and good fruit: Mercy is practicing kindness, good will, and a willingness to help those in need. Good fruit is a reference to the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.
Impartial (Greek: adiakritos): This term means to be unwavering, without ambiguity or uncertainty. Followers of Jesus should be stable and unwavering in our commitment to Christ and serving others.
Sincere (Greek: anypokritos): This term refers to being without hypocrisy, undisguised, and authentic. This is one virtue that unbelievers value. The world needs to see believers that are sincere and authentic.