Influencers Weekly Devotional

Abide with ME

Abiding Emotionally - Part Six

Is it Wisdom from Above or Wisdom from this World?

Scripture: “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:13-18 Thought:There are two types of wisdom. There is wisdom that is earthy, unspiritual, and even demonic. This kind of wisdom is gained in this world through experiences in homes, schools, businesses, factories, neighborhoods, and on the streets. Someone with street experience is known as “Street Wise.” We are told early in life that it is a “dog-eat-dog” world, and we better wise-up if we want to get ahead in life. Sound familiar? I started my pursuit of wisdom from this instruction. However, as good as the person was who spoke these words to me was, this method of obtaining wisdom does not come from God. Somewhere in the basic motivation for obtaining this kind of wisdom is the taint of jealousy, disorder, vile practices or selfish ambition. It is known as Earthly Wisdom, and it reflects the evil perspective of the one who formed a value system in this world that is against God and His ways. Earthly wisdom is easy to spot if you have something to which to compare it, such as the wisdom that comes from God. The wisdom God gives to people has contrasting attributes to that of earthly wisdom, in that it is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful and full of Christ-like qualities. This kind of wisdom stands out from the other by the way it is presented by the wise person. Look closely and you will see the difference. However, to be able to spot the difference, we must train ourselves to know and live the difference in our own lives. It is so easy for all mankind to do that which comes natural to us, and allow our earthly experiences to guide us. God’s wisdom guiding us will produce a harvest of good things in and around our lives, for His wisdom is not limited by human logic and sound reasoning. His wisdom can see more than our earthly minds can imagine, and His understanding more than our earthly wisdom could perceive. However, to gain God’s wisdom, we must be willing to allow wisdom from above to override the earthly wisdom we have been taught. This is a hard thing to do, but it becomes a natural transfer when we have an abiding relationship with Christ. Application: I was in a commission-driven business all of my working career. I started in this business right out of college. I had no previous experience in sales, so I was a clean slate with how to work and how to motivate myself to get started each day. I was guided by an earthly wise sales manager, and sad to say, I was introduced to a wisdom that motivated his salesmen with selfish ambition and aggressive competition. His perspective of management produced an atmosphere of jealousy within his agency. Before long, I grew to hate working in his agency, for I felt unprofessional and manipulated by someone for his own purpose. I jumped at the chance to leave this environment and start my own agency. However, I found that it was not long before I, too, became a manipulator of my salesmen and tried to motivate them with greed and selfish ambition. I did this because it was taught to me. I understood at the time that this is the way of business, and what a good manger does to get the best out of his salesmen. Before long I hated my work and hated my business. This lasted for years, and it wasn’t until I grew in my relationship with Christ that I began to grow in His wisdom. It was within His wisdom I began to see things differently. With my career, the first fruit of this wisdom from above was found in looking at my customers differently and how I related to them. No longer were they a way to achieve my financial goals but rather, a way to express my relationship with Christ. I saw myself as their advocate rather than an adversary, and my work was to serve their needs, rather than my own. When my perspective changed, I also began to grow in self-esteem and professionalism. I began to like myself and my customers more. I liked helping them achieve their financial goals. For the first time, I even liked my work. My clients were able to eventually understand my perspective about them, and they perceived that I could be trusted. This led to a successful sales practice where prospecting was no longer required because my satisfied clients, in turn, became my advocates and referred other clients to me. This was what I had always hoped for but could never achieve through the aggressive practices that I had been taught through earthly wisdom. The next fruit in my career that came from the wisdom from above was how I began to see the salesmen and administrative people with whom I worked. I quit looking at them as a resource to help me achieve my goals, but rather, I started helping them achieve theirs. This disarmed a jealous environment and promoted harmony. It wasn’t that I was trying to come up with another clever management or sales scheme. Rather, it was wisdom from above granted to me through my closer proximity to Christ that was guiding me. This wisdom flowed into my business and was evidence of one of many fruits that Christ promised would come as a result of abiding with Him. I have seen God’s wisdom guide me as no earthly wisdom could, and it makes me understand the wise words inspired in Proverbs concerning God’s wisdom: “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.” Proverbs 2: 1-22 Reply: Lord, gives us Your wisdom to guide us through life, so that we will not be led astray, or fail to be men ready for all seasons of life, and all occasions within those seasons. Your wisdom is beyond all wisdom found on this earth, for You see all, know all, and understand all things. Thank You for making this wisdom available for us through the abiding relationship granted to us through Jesus Christ. It is His name I pray. Rocky CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL