“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13 NIV)
A degree is not equal to discretion. Some people may be highly educated but lack wisdom. Such people may have a lot of problems in their human relationships. Wisdom has nothing to do with your intelligence. It has much to do with your relationships and character. It’s not a matter of what you say with your lips but what you live with your life- not a matter of your words but of your works and not so much your diplomas but your disposition.
We can list the characteristics of wise people in James 3;17; “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (NIV).
In chemistry, I understood the meaning of purity as ‘one thing’. It means undiluted, uncorrupted, and authentic. We can see this in Christ’s lifestyle. 1 John 3:3 says, “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure”. If you’re wise, you won’t tell lies, cheat on others, or steal or deceive people.
We all build our relationships based on mutual trust and respect. People won’t trust you or respect you if you lack integrity. Proverbs 10:9 says “whoever walks in integrity walks securely” (NIV). They’re not afraid of being found out because they don’t say one thing to one group and another thing to another group. Someone said, “no one has a good enough memory to be a habitual liar”. Eventually, that person is going to slip up. But if you’ve got integrity, you can walk securely and confidentiality in your relationships because you know you’re not putting people on.
Wise people do not compromise their integrity, because they know that having integrity is the only way to maintain healthy relationships.
