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Wisdom

One of my favorite verses comes from James 1:5:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.”

I liked it because it seemed like a free wisdom boost, kind of like you get in a Jamba Juice. I doesn’t really cost anything extra, God’s just kind of giving it to you in addition to your salvation. I never really made the connection, though, between that verse and what comes a few chapters later. James goes on to define wisdom in 3:17:

“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.”

When you’re asking for wisdom, then, what you’re really asking for is for spiritual purity and these other godly qualities; so now you come to understand that the wisdom you’re asking for is no mere boost to your faith. Becoming pure, like everything else in God’s economy, costs something. It means letting go of impurity, it means sacrifice. That perspective on wisdom is different than what I’m used to, but it’s just another example of God’s way of making us more like him.

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