James 1:5-8: Seek Wisdom, God Will Provide Now

James 1:5-8: Seek Wisdom, God Will Provide Now. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should pray to God, who will give it to him; because God gives generously and graciously to all. But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. A person like that, unable to make up his mind and undecided in all he does, must not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.”

Verse 5 ties in with the introduction. A person becomes a Christian, and as a new Christian, that person will only have a very basic understanding of what is expected. So, where does a person get the information needed? Where does a person acquire wisdom? The answer, of course, is from God.

James 1:5-8: Seek Wisdom, God Will Provide Now

In the early days of the Church, the inspired record in the New Testament scriptures had not been completed, and certain spiritual gifts were given to provide the needed information. But once the inspired New Testament was complete, those spiritual gifts faded away.

Today, a Christian acquires wisdom and knowledge from God’s Word. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Christians live under the teaching of the New Testament, but the Old Testament is also critical to see how God’s plan of redemption came to fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

James 1:5-8: Seek Wisdom, God Will Provide Now

Prayer is also a critical part of a Christian’s Life. Paul said to “pray without ceasing”. Now, God is not going to place inspired words inside a person’s mind, but God WILL answer the prayer for wisdom, in that His Word will begin to open up and become clearer with continual study.

The Bible is not a book that a person can read and fully understand in one of two readings. This is not a man written document. The Bible contains the infinite wisdom of God. A person can read and study for a lifetime and the truths in the inspired pages will continue to open up like a beautiful flower.

Verses 6-8 make it very clear that the receipt of wisdom must be joined to an unwavering faith – a belief that what is revealed is true and is to be followed. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote in in Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,  which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” Here were people that had received the truth from appointed apostles! They believed, but as soon as the apostles moved on, many of the Galatians were attracted to someone else’s false teaching.

James 1:5-8: Seek Wisdom, God Will Provide Now

So many people bounce from one religious fad to another! “As long as I feel good then it must be true.” How many people vacillate from one belief to another? James warned that such attitudes were condemned. Many will go back and forth, because they want to keep some of their practices and attitudes from the old worldly life. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth)”.

Becoming a Christian is not like joining a club or organization. It is a life-changing event that is literally a matter of eternal life or death. The person must be very serious about the decision to become a Christian.

There is no “I really didn’t mean it”, or “I’m going to take a break” without serious consequences. Hebrews 10:26-27 make very clear is to the consequences. “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”