Recently, as I walked along the streets and looked up, I could see trees filled with clusters of yellow and white blossoms. Instantly, I felt the freshness of spring, which also reminded me of my student days. This season of the year was always the signal for me to quickly pick up my books and seek wisdom in preparation for the examinations that were about to come.

        The pursuit of wisdom, however, is not the privilege of students alone. In our daily lives, whether it be matters of food, clothing, shelter, or the routines of everyday living, we all need wisdom to navigate them well. Having wisdom is itself a blessing from God. The Bible is a treasury of wisdom, frequently speaking of it and exhorting people to live according to it. “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).

        To live out a life in this world as in the Kingdom of Heaven indeed requires various gifts, and wisdom is an indispensable one among them. A person who possesses wisdom from above will have a gentle, pure, and peace-loving heart. Heavenly wisdom enables one to overcome temptation, to obey and live out God’s will, to bear spiritual fruit in life, and to hunger and thirst for righteousness. It also brings lasting growth to the community of believers. However, if one becomes self-centred, driven by envy and selfish ambition, and seeks to display superior insight or intelligence within the community, one must carefully examine one’s motives and spiritual condition, and return to the truth to seek wisdom anew.

        James 3:13-18 raises the question of who is truly wise, and vv.17-18 provide the answer: “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. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

        Wisdom from God helps us recalibrate our life goals. When we see clearly that it is Christ who leads us along the way, we will not be carried along by the world. With our life goals before us, we are able to act with resolve and live out our faith steadfastly. When we practise purity, peace, gentleness, submission, and mercy on earth, without partiality and without hypocrisy, we are truly engaging with the realities of this world. It is my prayer and hope that others may see in us a life that is “on earth as in heaven,” and through our lives of “faith lived out,” may come to witness the freedom and fullness of life that is found in believing in Jesus.