Wisdom From Above

[S] James 3:16-17 --
 ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
 ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

[O] Observing the inverse of this cause and effect statement, disorder and evil things are caused by jealousy and selfish ambitions; and purity, peacefulness, gentleness, reasonableness, mercy, fruitfulness, unwavering, and honesty are the results of wisdom from above.  So when I look around me I should be able to tell where they originate from: jealousy and selfish ambition or wisdom from above.  I hate to admit it but I see more of disorderliness and evil things around me and so I can conclude the world around me is more driven by jealousy and selfish ambition.  Verse 17 gives the way to counter that momentum by seeking the wisdom from above in order to fill my own heart with the resulting factors listed there.  Seeking this wisdom requires discipline on my part to daily exercise gleaning from his Word through His Spirit.  This type of skill is learned by continuously striving to gain more just like many skills in life which are not earned overnight.

[A] Many times I try to seek orderliness from the chaos around me by applying the right structure as well as eliminating the messiness at the same time.  This passage, however, outlines that God's principle is not to clean up the messiness but to first gain His wisdom from above because the outcome from that will naturally be the orderliness in His ways.  My take away is the solution to many of my problems I face is at a dimension higher than where the problems are at.  His ways are higher than my ways, says the Lord in Isaiah 55:9.

[P] Dear God, please continue to remind me to seek Your ways from above instead of trying to apply my meager "fixes" for the problems I face in life.  I want to have the fruits from the wisdom from above as mentioned in verse 17 around me because of my basic attitude of wanting to seek Your ways.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.