look at my wisdom

Ever watch White Wolves? For those of you that haven't had the privilege, a group of teens and their leader go on a backpacking trip, very much like the Wilderness Trip we do but with less canoeing. Their goal is to get to the top of Eagle Rock. They eventually make it to the top and disaster strikes! Their trip turns into a rescue mission. All throughout the movie, one of the teens, Scott, has camping experience and just seems to be wise in making decisions and knowing how to handle these scenarios that none of them have ever been in before. Towards the end of the movie, Benny decides to leave on his own and get help. He goes in the middle of the night without discussing it with the group. When Scott wakes up, he sees a note from Benny and is ticked off! He starts complaining about how they should've discussed this and they should've decided together. Adam looks at him and responds "no you mean you should have decided. Let's face it you're just angry because you're the one that has to sit here and wait, while he's the one that got to go." Scott angrily kicks some dirt because Adam's right. Scott tries to make it seem like his concern is the group when really he's mad because he's got some jealously and selfishness.

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. (James 3:13-14 ESV)

In chapter 3, James has been talking about the tongue, and how it's so small yet powerful. He talks about how a spring or a fig tree can only produce what they are made to produce. After all that, he then starts talking about wisdom and good conduct.

If a fig tree produces really delicious figs, it doesn't have to brag about it and tell people. Its fruit speaks for it. Likewise, if you are wise and understanding, you don't need to brag about it; the way you act should demonstrate it. It's back to the whole idea of faith without works being dead.

If you are trying to be wise, but with selfish motives, you are being false to the truth. Eventually what is in your heart will be revealed.

The book of Proverbs spends a great deal of time talking about the difference between those who are full of wisdom and those who are full of folly. Here are just a few verses:

The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin... The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence... The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. (Proverbs 10:8, 11, 14 ESV)

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. (Proverbs 15:2 ESV)

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, (Proverbs 3:13 ESV)

My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. (Proverbs 3:21-22 ESV)

The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace. (Proverbs 3:35 ESV)

Answer This:

1) Be honest- are you truly wise and understanding or do you tend to be motivated by jealously and selfishness?

2) "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his _____________________ let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom."

3) How does your conduct relate to your wisdom/understanding?

4) Take some time to journal about this passage.

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Written  for the youth group devotional book.

it's just this one little thing

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. (‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭10-12‬ ESV)

Based on my own life, the comments of some of the other devo writers and conversations with some of you guys, I know our speech is a big deal. It has been a stumbling block for many of us in the past or currently. Why is this even something worth talking about? Cursing, gossiping, sarcasm and what not don't seem like that big of a deal compared to stealing, lying or murder.

Normally we stick a personal story/example in here, but the example that came to mind was a Bible story:
And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭18-25‬ ESV)

This guy did everything the Law asked of him, but Jesus said he lacked one thing; he needed to sell his stuff and give to the poor. He can't do it, his stuff is too important to him (Says so in Matt. 19:22). Now just to clarify, this isn't a command to all of us that we cannot be wealthy. In the next chapter, we read about Zacchaeus who was not required to give away his money but he did so because it was no longer important to him once he met Jesus.

Alright, so how does this story apply to James 3 and our mouths? The rich ruler did things right--he kept the commandments. However his one stumbling block was being greedy with his money. But that one issue stopped him from while-heartedly loving and serving God.

The same is true with us and our speech. We can do really well keeping all the commandments--we go to church, read our Bibles, pray, go to church. But we struggle with the words that come out of our mouths.

James says mouths shouldn't be both good and bad, the same way that a spring can't have both fresh and salt water or a tree can only produce its own kind of fruit.

Your speech can be a stumbling block that stops you from whole-heartedly loving God (just like the money did for the rich ruler). Our mouths are an indicator of what's in our hearts. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭45‬ ESV)


Our speech should be used as a blessing, not a curse. Here's how you can do that: Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬ ESV)


If your speech is not what it should be, use this verse as a prayer: Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! (‭Psalm‬ ‭141‬:‭3‬ ESV)

Answer This:
1) do you struggle with your speech--cursing, gossiping, sarcasm, inappropriate jokes/stories?
2) what is a practical step you can take this week to improve your speech?
3) "From the same ________________ come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ________________ so."
4) take some time to journal about this passage.