TRULY WISE

 

TRULY WISE

James 3:13 If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! NLT

Wisdom involves living a life of steady goodness. It is being governed and guided by the Spirit so that you do not wander away from the holiness of God. Wisdom involves choosing to do what is right before God. Wisdom is seeking to understand the ways of God so that you may do them. Wisdom is understanding that the purpose of all knowledge is to live it.

Living a life of steady goodness means that you don't slack off in your quest for holiness of heart. You are aware of what is God's will for you and you strive to do it. Your desire is to be good and not just talk about it. Living steadily a life of goodness means that it is the way of life for you. It is how you act all the time and not just when you are in the company of other believers. It is who you are at home, work, and play.

When we live rightly before God, others will see it. Our lives will be enough testimony of who we are and we won't need to brag about it. It's good that we brag about the Lord and what He is doing, but it's not good to brag about ourselves as if we had anything to do with it. All of our goodness comes from the Lord. Our ability to do good deeds comes from the work of the Spirit in us. We are powerless to do anything good without God's help and abilities.

Wisdom is giving credit where credit is due. It is giving God the glory and honor in all things at all times. He alone is worthy of our praise.

STEADY GOODNESS

 

STEADY GOODNESS

James 3:13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! NLT

Those who are wise and truly understand the Gospel message will live a life of steady goodness. They will be known for their goodness. All that they do will flow from a heart intent on doing good. What they do in life will be good. They will be positive influencers of the Gospel.

Those who are wise will be steady in their souls. They will not be good one day and not so good the next. They will seek the truth of the Gospel and apply it every day. They will live under the lordship of Christ and not for themselves. They will be conscientious about how they are living and always strive to please the Lord.

Those who are wise will not be braggarts. They will be so secure in their standing with Christ that they will not have to brag about it. The wise just live a life of faithfulness and are satisfied in knowing that God is pleased with them. The wise understand the dangers of self pride and are careful to avoid it.

The goal of every true believer in Christ should be to live a steady and unpretentious life of goodness. If you are not doing so well in this area, you need to confess it before God and seek His help. The Lord wants you to bring it to Him. He wants to forgive you and help you do better. He wants you to be known for your goodness. Won’t you let Him have His way in your life today?