The dimensions of wisdom and abundance in James
Saturday, December 12th, 2009James Chapter 1 verse 2 through 8 read as follows:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways
Often when these verses are quoted, verses 2 and three are overlooked and that seems to skew some of the meaning of what is being said. The lack mentioned in verse 3 pertains not only to lack of wisdom as we understand it but the lack of anything and this lack when being supplied in, by the Lord, is done with the wisdom towards the need, but the lack could include a basic lack for example such as food or heat and it is wisdom that food or shelter might be needed. So it is not just wisdom per say, but wisdom practically applied to a real and often hard pressed practical lack that might be there. This can be met directly and freely with the Lord’s grace in abundance fashion.
The liberality,nerosity cited here indicates a wide expanse of possibility of what God might do.
The exercise of faith goes into the situation of lack and amends it into the generous hands of the Almighty Lord.
It could more so pictured that you continue to flow with his grace rather than reaching any endpoint where you can say I’ve arrived with this grace, but I no longer need it,
The image could be of long flowing waters of grace, continually manifesting.
Troubles difficulties and afflictions, give the feel of interruptions, there couldn’t be discontinuity from the hand of the Lord.
You can contemplate lack from any position and what that might mean.
The lack brings about a confrontation with faith and belief of the Lord’s intention to supply into the lack.
The gift made available can be seen as coming from the Lord, and the wisdom of the Lord. The exchange is such that there is a duty to see that this is from the hand of the Lord.
The real time, real place, presence of the Lord can be believed and seen within the gift of wisdom.
But it is not just wisdom but any real lack that the Lord addresses in his wisdom that there is a lack, such as a lack of food even in the moment and we see how Jesus fed the 5,000. There was a real within the day lack addressed fully by the Jesus.
The lack is confronted with faith.
The lack is something to discuss in prayer directly. Yes, I feel a lack of understanding, insight, and lack of a know pathway through or out of this.
The situation can be confronted and named for what it is. A position of critical lack.
An example is the wedding feast where Jesus is confronted by Mary as to the lack of wine.
The faith walk would include at times lack, and the need to bring this lack to the attention of the Lord and his wisdom for the lack, and his liberal and free wheeling grace towards this lack, whatever it might be.
The way the passage is worded, the faith is more so that the Lord will do it and intends to do it, rather then whether he is there and able.
This therefore indicates direct presence to the actual lack in the here and now.
This does say that the Lord has a liberal policy of gift giving for all.
The scope or dimension of the difficulty, lack or trouble pales against the graces of the Lord found in faith and belief in them.
There is both wisdom and liberal and freely given graces applied to the lack, A key to understanding these passages is the tie in with abundant grace which addresses lack with wisdom as to what is needed for the lack as well as stand alone wisdom and understanding. I could be standing here with wisdom but still suffering from a real lack, but the wisdom mentioned here also brings abundance graces or gifts addressing the lack even lack that has very real and practical implications.
The dimensions of wisdom spoken of here include addressing every possible lack. The faith walk of the believer includes freedom from lack through asking for wisdom to be appropriated against real lacks.
Wisdom can be perceived as having less concrete dimensions, or less practical but this passage is talking about but this passage is talking about the accompaniment of wisdom, that the answer is from the Lord, this is the form of it, and there is a wisdom that this is from the Lord, addressed to the personal needs present.