WISDOM

"But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.  This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing" (James 3:14-16).

This is what wisdom does not look like:  "bitter jealousy", "selfish ambition", and "arrogance".  Let me take a moment to unpack these words:

• bitter - "harsh"
• jealousy - "zeal, envy, resentment, a particularly strong feeling of resentment against someone. The idea is of a fierce desire to promote one's own opinion to the exclusion of others" (Rogers & Rogers, p560).
• selfish ambition - "The word suggests the vice of a leader who creates a party for his own pride: it is partly ambition, partly rivalry" (R & R, p560).
• arrogance - "to boast against.  The word is used sometimes to denote the triumph of one principle over another" (R & R, p561).

Get this, if we are making life decisions with these emotions and motivations in our heart, then we are likely making big mistakes.  We are not acting wise at all.  As you make decisions today, include some evaluation in terms of these words.  Catch yourself before you invite "disorder and every evil thing" into your day.