James 3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
James now pinpoints the problem with earthly wisdom: it is fueled by selfishness. The goal of this type of wisdom is to do something that benefits the person without regard to the law of love. God’s kind of wisdom is fueled by faith and love. Godly wisdom leads to obedience to God’s commands. The world’s pursuit of self leads to envy, selfish ambition, disorder, and evil actions. The results of wisdom will show what type it is. These results may not be immediately evident. That is why failure may take a while to come. The seeds of self may take a while to grow. Selfishness will self-destruct and destroy or at least harm the self and often take others along with it. Wisdom from heaven or godly wisdom will produce fruit in one’s life and build up the people around us through loving obedience to the teachings of Jesus.
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