James 1:4–8
4 Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
There are differing opinions about the accuracy of this quote attributed to the commissioner of the US Patent Office in 1899: “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Some say it’s just an urban legend, but whether he actually said those words or not, I wonder what he would say today if time travel were possible?
It really does seem that virtually every day there is some new kind of machine or technology invented. We can only speculate about how much human ingenuity will change the world during the next hundred years or so.
Mankind has an insatiable desire to learn and know more. The quest for knowledge and wisdom is a thirst that God has given us, and over the years we have done some wonderful things, particularly when it comes to the medical field, the ease of long-distance travelling and communicating with our loved ones who live far away.
Of course, there is also an extremely dark and destructive element of human ingenuity which has brought unspeakable suffering to so many, and one wonders just where it will all end.
The problem is that we have rejected God, and His plan and will for our lives, which means that things are quite literally, spiralling out of control. The human race is on a slippery slope leading to destruction, and there is not much we can do to stop it.
Remarkably though, God has not abandoned us. He still offers us grace, mercy and hope – things that the world cannot offer or invent.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 that we should seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first. If we could learn to do that, the world would be a completely different place.
Today we’re going to consider just what it means to have Godly wisdom.
How do we begin to become wise? The beginning of Proverbs tells us: We come to God first and foremost. It starts as we revere Him as we humbly submit to His authority. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
To fear the Lord means to acknowledge His great power, His complete authority over us and all creation, and His complete and total hatred of sin.
You will never make sense of life if you take God out of the equation.
For all our alleged ingenuity and intelligence, generally speaking, the world refuses to turn to God, who is the source of wisdom and intelligence, in order to find the answers to the most important questions of life.
But then, we shouldn’t be surprised either. It is because of our sinful nature that we have rejected truth and Godly wisdom.
It takes a radical mindshift for us to acknowledge His tremendous love and mercy shown to us, and His goodness. Life has no meaning without God. He is the point, the reason, for all existence. As Acts 17:28 puts it, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” But it takes Godly wisdom to believe that.
Probably the greatest and wisest discovery a person can make in their lifetime is the realisation that we need God. We need God because He created us, and we need Him because only He can offer us the forgiveness we need to ensure eternal life with Him.
We come first and foremost to Him for help and for guidance. In order to live differently to the standards of the world, a major goal in our lives must be the seeking of wisdom. Proverbs is full of verses calling us to the pursuit of wisdom. It is an essential ingredient to the successful Christian life.
James 1:5 is a key verse in our text today. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
This verse begins with an invitation. “If any of you…” God’s wisdom is available to all people, but we have to see the need first, then ask and receive it. Wisdom, like patience, does not come naturally to us, but everyone is invited to come to God, the source of all wisdom and knowledge.
The verse continues, “If any of you lacks wisdom…” James is about to tell us what to do if we find ourselves lacking wisdom. We are going to have to do something. We will need to take some steps to find what it is that God wants us to do in seeking wisdom.
What we need to understand is that while God is the source of our strength and the source of our power, because of how sin has crippled our relationship with Him, we don’t automatically have everything we need in ourselves to face life.
Sin basically says to God, “Thanks, but no thanks. I can do this on my own, and I don’t need your help.” That’s the lie, and the deception, because we can’t do anything on our own. We do need His help, but our sinful nature denies that truth.
In order to live life the way God intended, and in order to gain Godly wisdom, we need Him. God provides the wisdom we need, but we need to reach out to Him first.
God created us in His image. Sin has marred that image, but we still bear His image. The potential to be Godly people remains, but we have to reject worldly wisdom and seek Godly wisdom instead.
Which begs the question, just how do we do it?
James 1:5 has the answer for us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…”
This is more than a simple once-off prayer, asking God for a solution to a particular problem or issue. James is speaking more about an attitude of prayerfully asking God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches the same lesson: “Pray without ceasing.” These words are so often misinterpreted. Some think this means we should keep nagging God until He gets so tired of us that He will eventually give us what we want.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Pray without ceasing” means that we should be constantly connected to God with a heart of prayer.
Godly wisdom is available to all who earnestly desire it. This is exactly what God promises: Ask, and you will receive.
And not only does God give, but He gives liberally, in abundance.
The apostle Paul prays an amazing prayer at the end of Ephesians 3. We’ve heard it many times, but just listen to it again, especially the promises of riches, fullness and the immeasurable blessings that God wants to pour into our lives, if only we would take the trouble to ask Him:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Two key words there which are so applicable to us today: To know this love that surpasses knowledge. How do you know something that surpasses knowledge? By seeking Godly wisdom.
Does this mean we will now know everything and have all of the answers to life’s questions? Of course not. But when we have Godly wisdom, He will give us what we need and when we need it. And during those times of apparent silence when it seems that you’re not getting the answers you’re so desperately crying out for, God will give you an inner peace, and a deep assurance that He is in control and that He is sovereign.
One of the greatest promises in James 1:5 is that God gives generously to all without finding fault.
He is a God of grace and mercy. Because of this He doesn’t give us what we deserve. He gives all we need and so much more. He gives graciously, “without finding fault.”
In His great mercy God gives to us regardless of our condition, regardless of our status, regardless of our actions. He finds no fault in us when we come to Him, because Jesus is the one who has taken all the condemnation and punishment for us. Remember, when we pray, seeking God’s wisdom, that we are coming not only to the all-powerful, all-knowing God of creation, but we are also coming to Abba, our Heavenly Father.
Later on, in chapter 3, James writes, “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 talks here about what wisdom looks like practically. When we are wise, when we have taken the decision to seek Godly, instead of worldly wisdom, we find there is no place for envy or strife with true wisdom. Wisdom yields recognisable fruit of righteousness. If we go through life with God’s wisdom, we will have a power source that will deliver us during the trials, will guide us in the victories, and will help us to help others in their lives as well.
As Christians we are not called merely to believe differently. That is just the start. We are to live differently. As God teaches us, the power of His Spirit will bring about some radical changes in our lives. The heart of revival, the heart of a wise Christian, always comes from the power of the Holy Spirit in that heart.
The specifics of how God do all of this is unique to each person. Sometimes the answers He gives us will be crystal clear, leaving no doubt about what He is saying.
As we well know, there are many times that we can’t understand His ways, so it takes a wise person to stay prayerfully connected to Christ.
We need to take the theory of the Christian faith, and apply it to our lives, trusting in His righteousness, wisdom and power, instead of our own.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
4 Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
There are differing opinions about the accuracy of this quote attributed to the commissioner of the US Patent Office in 1899: “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Some say it’s just an urban legend, but whether he actually said those words or not, I wonder what he would say today if time travel were possible?
It really does seem that virtually every day there is some new kind of machine or technology invented. We can only speculate about how much human ingenuity will change the world during the next hundred years or so.
Mankind has an insatiable desire to learn and know more. The quest for knowledge and wisdom is a thirst that God has given us, and over the years we have done some wonderful things, particularly when it comes to the medical field, the ease of long-distance travelling and communicating with our loved ones who live far away.
Of course, there is also an extremely dark and destructive element of human ingenuity which has brought unspeakable suffering to so many, and one wonders just where it will all end.
The problem is that we have rejected God, and His plan and will for our lives, which means that things are quite literally, spiralling out of control. The human race is on a slippery slope leading to destruction, and there is not much we can do to stop it.
Remarkably though, God has not abandoned us. He still offers us grace, mercy and hope – things that the world cannot offer or invent.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 that we should seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first. If we could learn to do that, the world would be a completely different place.
Today we’re going to consider just what it means to have Godly wisdom.
How do we begin to become wise? The beginning of Proverbs tells us: We come to God first and foremost. It starts as we revere Him as we humbly submit to His authority. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
To fear the Lord means to acknowledge His great power, His complete authority over us and all creation, and His complete and total hatred of sin.
You will never make sense of life if you take God out of the equation.
For all our alleged ingenuity and intelligence, generally speaking, the world refuses to turn to God, who is the source of wisdom and intelligence, in order to find the answers to the most important questions of life.
But then, we shouldn’t be surprised either. It is because of our sinful nature that we have rejected truth and Godly wisdom.
It takes a radical mindshift for us to acknowledge His tremendous love and mercy shown to us, and His goodness. Life has no meaning without God. He is the point, the reason, for all existence. As Acts 17:28 puts it, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” But it takes Godly wisdom to believe that.
Probably the greatest and wisest discovery a person can make in their lifetime is the realisation that we need God. We need God because He created us, and we need Him because only He can offer us the forgiveness we need to ensure eternal life with Him.
We come first and foremost to Him for help and for guidance. In order to live differently to the standards of the world, a major goal in our lives must be the seeking of wisdom. Proverbs is full of verses calling us to the pursuit of wisdom. It is an essential ingredient to the successful Christian life.
James 1:5 is a key verse in our text today. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
This verse begins with an invitation. “If any of you…” God’s wisdom is available to all people, but we have to see the need first, then ask and receive it. Wisdom, like patience, does not come naturally to us, but everyone is invited to come to God, the source of all wisdom and knowledge.
The verse continues, “If any of you lacks wisdom…” James is about to tell us what to do if we find ourselves lacking wisdom. We are going to have to do something. We will need to take some steps to find what it is that God wants us to do in seeking wisdom.
What we need to understand is that while God is the source of our strength and the source of our power, because of how sin has crippled our relationship with Him, we don’t automatically have everything we need in ourselves to face life.
Sin basically says to God, “Thanks, but no thanks. I can do this on my own, and I don’t need your help.” That’s the lie, and the deception, because we can’t do anything on our own. We do need His help, but our sinful nature denies that truth.
In order to live life the way God intended, and in order to gain Godly wisdom, we need Him. God provides the wisdom we need, but we need to reach out to Him first.
God created us in His image. Sin has marred that image, but we still bear His image. The potential to be Godly people remains, but we have to reject worldly wisdom and seek Godly wisdom instead.
Which begs the question, just how do we do it?
James 1:5 has the answer for us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…”
This is more than a simple once-off prayer, asking God for a solution to a particular problem or issue. James is speaking more about an attitude of prayerfully asking God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches the same lesson: “Pray without ceasing.” These words are so often misinterpreted. Some think this means we should keep nagging God until He gets so tired of us that He will eventually give us what we want.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Pray without ceasing” means that we should be constantly connected to God with a heart of prayer.
Godly wisdom is available to all who earnestly desire it. This is exactly what God promises: Ask, and you will receive.
And not only does God give, but He gives liberally, in abundance.
The apostle Paul prays an amazing prayer at the end of Ephesians 3. We’ve heard it many times, but just listen to it again, especially the promises of riches, fullness and the immeasurable blessings that God wants to pour into our lives, if only we would take the trouble to ask Him:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Two key words there which are so applicable to us today: To know this love that surpasses knowledge. How do you know something that surpasses knowledge? By seeking Godly wisdom.
Does this mean we will now know everything and have all of the answers to life’s questions? Of course not. But when we have Godly wisdom, He will give us what we need and when we need it. And during those times of apparent silence when it seems that you’re not getting the answers you’re so desperately crying out for, God will give you an inner peace, and a deep assurance that He is in control and that He is sovereign.
One of the greatest promises in James 1:5 is that God gives generously to all without finding fault.
He is a God of grace and mercy. Because of this He doesn’t give us what we deserve. He gives all we need and so much more. He gives graciously, “without finding fault.”
In His great mercy God gives to us regardless of our condition, regardless of our status, regardless of our actions. He finds no fault in us when we come to Him, because Jesus is the one who has taken all the condemnation and punishment for us. Remember, when we pray, seeking God’s wisdom, that we are coming not only to the all-powerful, all-knowing God of creation, but we are also coming to Abba, our Heavenly Father.
Later on, in chapter 3, James writes, “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 talks here about what wisdom looks like practically. When we are wise, when we have taken the decision to seek Godly, instead of worldly wisdom, we find there is no place for envy or strife with true wisdom. Wisdom yields recognisable fruit of righteousness. If we go through life with God’s wisdom, we will have a power source that will deliver us during the trials, will guide us in the victories, and will help us to help others in their lives as well.
As Christians we are not called merely to believe differently. That is just the start. We are to live differently. As God teaches us, the power of His Spirit will bring about some radical changes in our lives. The heart of revival, the heart of a wise Christian, always comes from the power of the Holy Spirit in that heart.
The specifics of how God do all of this is unique to each person. Sometimes the answers He gives us will be crystal clear, leaving no doubt about what He is saying.
As we well know, there are many times that we can’t understand His ways, so it takes a wise person to stay prayerfully connected to Christ.
We need to take the theory of the Christian faith, and apply it to our lives, trusting in His righteousness, wisdom and power, instead of our own.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”