James 3:13 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk that counts. (The Message)
The minute I read this, I thought of David, a boy in my sixth grade class at the Dame School. He was a smart boy and got very good grades - always. Not like the rest of us, who fooled around, talked and didn't pay attention only half the time. David never fooled around, he was always focused on his work and when he got good grades, everyone in the class knew it.
Back then, we didn't have rugs and the desks were screwed to the floor and were lined up in rows. And we didn't wear sneakers. David wore leather shoes and I can remember every time he got an A on his paper (usually in math), he would run down the aisle from the teachers desk and slide with his shoes on the floor with a huge smile on his face that said, 'I got an A'. No doubt, David was smart, but he struggled with his 'humble' personality and as a result sometimes wasn't very well liked.
In a book I have, it says that wisdom from above is characterized as pure, peace-loving and considerate and wisdom from below is characterized as self-centered and driven by selfish desires.
I realize that David was only 10 or 11 yrs old, so maybe he had an excuse. Maybe he hadn't been taught how to live humbly and have the wisdom from above and maybe had to learn the hard way.
As adults, we often live or act as if we hadn't been taught and our wisdom shows it comes from below. Maybe it's not intended, by never the less, it shows.
So what should our goals be? What are we being taught by God?
Live the life of wisdom from above and be humble at all times. It's how you live, not the way you talk that counts.
Nancy
