James 1:5-8

Passage

And if any of you are lacking in wisdom, let him ask from God who gives generously to all without reprimand.  It will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith with no uncertainty.  For the one who is uncertain has been like the swell on the sea – driven by the wind and tossed about.  For that man should not presume that he will receive anything from the Lord.  That man is a doubter, unable to be controlled in all of his ways.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

 James next shifts the focus to wisdom.  Wisdom is important because it is wisdom that guides our paths.  The greater our wisdom, the greater the chance that we will recognize the consequences of our actions.  The more we recognize the consequences of our actions the more likelihood we will have to stay on the path of God and not go astray.  Wisdom is not what saves us.  But wisdom plays a significant role in the spiritual growth that follows our salvation.

Are you wise in the ways of God?  How can you become wise?  Where does true wisdom reside?

Second Thought:

Regarding wisdom, James tells us to ask it from God.  However, when we ask for wisdom from God we should do it confidently.  After all, why wouldn’t God want one of His followers to be wise?  But we must also ask while being willing to receive it.  Wisdom is not usually simply supernaturally impacted.  To gain wisdom, one must usually put forth the effort required.  God will grant us the ability to grow, but we must be willing.  So when we ask for wisdom, we must ask knowing that God will grant us the request and that we are willing to follow God’s lead.  If we aren’t, then we are essentially asking God for something that we really don’t want anyway.

Have you ever thought it would be great to be wise in the ways of God yet not do what it takes to follow-through?  Why do we behave that way with God?  Why can we long for the ideal yet fall short in the follow-through?

Third Thought:

James then speaks about the person who doesn’t follow-through.  James says that such a person is like the top of a sea, tossed about by the wind.  When there is wind above the water, the waves pick up.  The more the wind increases, the choppier the water gets.  The same is true about us.  The more we allow the things of the world to influence us, the choppier our life will get as we bounce from being focused upon God to being focused upon our fleshly desires.  We toss ourselves about in our own life.  We become unreliable.  In that case, we should not presume that we will get anything from God because of our unreliability.

Do you tell God that you are reliable through your actions?  If you are reliable, what has gotten you to this point?  If you are not reliable, why are you that way?

Passage for Tomorrow: James 1:9-11