What is wrong with us? Generally it’s us. Specifically we lack. We lack strength, we lack endurance, we lack motivation, we lack know-how. We just don’t have what it takes to do all that we want to do sometimes. We certainly don’t have what it takes to do all that God requires of us.

Think of the ultimate command for the believer in Christ:

John 13:34–35 (NASB95)

        “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Only a person so steeped in arrogant self-absorbtion that he cannot see the reality of his own shortcomings would imagine that he himself is able to love as well as  the greatest Lover in history. The bar is set a little too high for our limited, fallen natures. We need help.  Thankfully, God produces His love in us. Loving others is the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23, and we are fully dependent on the Spirit of God for the capability to love as we have been so clearly commanded by our Savior. Certainly obedience to God’s commands involves our choice, but the power is all from the Holy Spirit.

As it happens, wisdom goes hand-in-hand with love. From an extended study of the book of Proverbs I have concluded, with most commentators, that wisdom basically means “skill” or “know-how.” Biblical wisdom, the fear of the Lord, is the skill of living life in God’s presence at His pleasure. It is not the same as knowledge or God’s word. Rather, biblical wisdom is the skill of applying the knowledge we gain from God’s word. As such, a massive component in the believer’s attainment of wisdom is learning how to love.

Each one of us is a work in progress. Final attainment of success in life is a terminal accomplishment. One can only say “it is finished” when there is nothing left to do, when God terminates our short walk on this earth. So it is with our spiritual growth. Until we die we will need to grow in the knowledge of God’s word and in it’s the application–in obedience to it. And this growth involves an ever-increasing skill in doing what God wants us to do. We need this wisdom to increase so we can constantly improve our service to Him. Enter the gracious command of James 1:5-8.

James 1:5–8 (NASB95)

    5      But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

    6      But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

    7      For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

    8      being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Not only does God produce His love in us, He gives us wisdom. The command is fairly straightforward: pray for God to give you wisdom. I think the wording James selected is very challenging: “If anyone lacks wisdom” calls us to self-evaluation. Does anyone honestly look at himself and conclude he does not lack wisdom? Only a fool would say he has enough wisdom to live well in God’s sight. It would be a shame to miss the irony here.

Along with the instruction to pray is a magnificent description of our God. We often find some of the most profound theology side-by-side with practical instructions of the Bible. James reminds us of the great generosity of our God when he tells us that our God is literally “the giver to all liberally.” For his vivid description of our loving Father, James uses a present participle from the stock verb “to give,” διδωμι, DIDOMI.  In the order of the Greek text it reads like this: “let him ask from the giving God to all freely.” In English it should be translated like this: “let him ask from God, the one Who gives to all freely.” I love this description of God as “the Giver.” We need to meditate on that attribute and reflect our gratitude to Him. Do you believe that He is the Giver? You need to if you will obey the command in verse 5!

In verse 6 there is an important qualification to go along with the command and its resultant promise in verse 5. Your attitude as you ask is important. You need to believe that God is the Giver. You need to believe His promise to give you wisdom if you ask for it. Without faith, we are not really obeying the command to ask because we are going about it in the wrong way. And as a consequence of incomplete obedience we can expect to get nothing (v7)! Doubting is a choice that results in instability. The doubter is literally wishy-washy, “like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”

Four points of encouragement close today’s examination of God’s commands:

1. God PROMISES a liberal dose of wisdom for you if you obey the command to ask Him for it with faith.

2.  If you don’t trust Him, you dishonor Him, and you’ll get nothing.  This is a consequence of disobedience.

3.  Faith is not the same as obedience, but to obey God you must trust Him because He commands you to do so.

4. The believer who trusts in God’s promises is the stable believer who can weather the howling gales of life and the flaming arrows of the evil one.