If you spend any amount of time watching the news, scrolling social media, or even standing in line at a store, you’ve probably felt it: our world is drowning in information but starving for wisdom.
We have more access to opinions, commentary, and “hot takes” than any generation before us. And yet, we’re more divided, more anxious, and more suspicious of one another than ever. Everyone has a platform, everyone is convinced they’re right, and being loud often feels more important than being wise.
James 3 steps directly into this cultural moment—and it sounds uncomfortably familiar.
When Being Right Matters More Than Being Righteous
Our culture rewards confidence, cleverness, and visibility. We prize being right over being righteous, being seen over being sincere. Power often outranks purity. Ambition gets celebrated more than humility. Self-expression wins over self-control.
Even in churches, including many Windsor Colorado churches, there can be a quiet temptation to chase what looks effective instead of what is truly faithful.
James asks a piercing question in James 3:13:
“Who among you is wise and understanding?”
In other words, everyone thinks they’re wise—but who actually is?
According to James, biblical wisdom isn’t proven by education, influence, or how well someone can argue. True wisdom is revealed in how a person lives.
Wisdom You Can See
James connects wisdom directly to conduct:
“Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”
Wisdom isn’t just something we think about—it’s something that shows up in our words, our relationships, and our reactions. You can know all the right answers, speak fluent Christian language, and still miss real wisdom if your life doesn’t reflect it.
This is especially important for leaders, parents, and those serving in student ministries in Fort Collins, where faith is constantly being modeled for the next generation.
Biblical wisdom shows up in:
- Patience when you’re stretched thin
- Kindness when you’re overlooked
- Integrity when honesty costs you something
And James adds a key phrase: the gentleness (or meekness) of wisdom.
Meekness isn’t weakness—it’s strength under control. True wisdom doesn’t need to prove itself. It’s confident without being combative.
Counterfeit Wisdom Starts in the Heart
James then exposes a dangerous imitation:
“If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart… this wisdom is not from above.”
False wisdom doesn’t begin in the mind—it begins in disordered desires. Jealousy turns others into rivals. Selfish ambition asks one question: What’s in it for me?
This kind of wisdom can look impressive on the outside—strategic, sharp, persuasive—but it quietly rots relationships from the inside.
James doesn’t soften his language. He calls it:
- Earthly (driven by the world’s values)
- Unspiritual (guided by impulses instead of God)
- Demonic (mirroring pride and self-glory rather than Christ)
That’s sobering—especially for those involved in church leadership or ministry.
The Fruit Tells the Truth
James makes it clear where worldly wisdom leads:
“Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”
Chaos replaces peace. Competition replaces unity. Noise replaces clarity.
You can feel it in a home, a workplace, or a church when this kind of wisdom takes over. And if we’re honest, this isn’t just a warning for “someone else.” Every one of us is tempted to rely on what feels practical instead of what is righteous.
James holds up a mirror and asks us to look at the fruit of our lives. Because fruit always reveals the root.
The Wisdom That Comes From Above
Then comes the good news.
James turns our eyes upward:
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
This wisdom is a gift—not an achievement. God gives it generously to those who ask.
James describes what it looks like when heavenly wisdom takes root:
- Pure – unmixed motives
- Peaceable – pursuing reconciliation
- Gentle – strong but kind
- Reasonable – teachable, not stubborn
- Merciful – compassion in action
- Impartial – no favoritism
- Sincere – faith without a mask
It starts to sound a lot like Jesus.
For churches and student ministries in Fort Collins, this kind of wisdom shapes how we disciple, how we handle conflict, and how we represent Christ in a divided world.
Planting Peace, Harvesting Righteousness
James closes with a beautiful image:
“The seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Righteousness can’t be manufactured—but peace can be planted.
Every gentle word, every merciful choice, every humble response is a seed. Over time, those seeds grow into restored relationships, healed families, unified churches, and transformed communities.
Asking for the Wisdom We Need
The invitation is simple.
If you see confusion, brokenness, or pride in your life, ask God for wisdom from above. If you long for peace in your home, your church, or your relationships, ask in faith.
Our Father delights to give this wisdom—and when He does, it doesn’t just change how we think. It changes who we become.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God… and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)