James 4    In James 3:13 said, " Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.." 

Chapter 4 is like an exam.. where we can search our own hearts to see if godly wisdom.. wisdom that is "pure.. peaceable.. gentle.. reasonable.. full of mercy and good fruits.. unwavering, without hypocrisy" is truly ours.. 

Let us examine our selves, James teaches, to see if we are quarreling because of our own selfish  desires.  Let us check ourselves.. have we asked God for what we need?  Have we asked with pure motives? Are we acting in ways that are unfaithful to the God we claim to serve?  Are we allowing pride to get in the way of God's will in our life's choices?

Are we humbling ourselves before God? Submitting ourselves to Him? Resisting the devil? Are we drawing near to God every day? 

If not.. then we must repent.  "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord... "(v10)  It is an act of confession and submission.. "Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom." (v9)  Are we taking our walk with the Lord.. our faith.. our relationship with Jesus.. serious enough to lay it all out before Him? 

Let us examine our relationships with others..  do we speak "against one another"?  Are we judging them? Do we think we know better than the Lord who is the "only one".. the "Lawgiver and Judge,  the One who is able to save and to destroy." ?  Are we careless about the way we speak about others?

We must also examine our plans and projects.. our businesses.. every part of our lives.. in light of God's perfect will.  Are we yielding our plans to Him?   Proverbs 16:9 " The mind of man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps."  Are we acknowledging that God is sovereign over the ways we go? Or do we "Trust in the Lord with all [our] heart, "  not leaning "on our own understanding" but acknowledging Him.. so that He will "make [our] paths straight." ? ( Proverbs 3:5-6)

 Let us examine ourselves to see what we are boasting about.. are we boasting about our own accomplishments?  That is what the world does.. just listen to the politicians!!   James calls this kind of boasting "evil". 

There is one more question on this exam.. do we "know what is good".. but not" do it"?  

Father, You open our eyes sometimes.. in ways that are hard to hear.. for we have failed You in so many ways. We come before You, humbly, confessing our sins, and seeking Your grace and forgiveness.  Father, we want to have Your wisdom and we ask for it, knowing that You give it generously.  We ask that Your will be done in every part of our lives.. in our thinking and in our actions.. in our relationships and in our plans. Help us, Lord God, to do the good that we know to do..   Above all else we desire that Your Name be praised and glorified above any other name. You alone are God and we submit to You and draw near to You, by Your Spirit, in Christ Jesus our Savior, for it is in His name that we come. Amen.