Being right is not the same thing as being wise.

In The Hard Work of Getting Along, Pastor Ezra continues in James 3 and

moves from the words we speak to the wisdom we live by. We live in a

world overflowing with information, opinions, podcasts, reels, hot takes,

comment sections, algorithms, and answers for everything. But more

information has not made us more peaceful, more humble, or more whole.

James asks a better question: who is wise?

Not who is loud. Not who has the strongest opinion. Not who can win the

argument. Who is wise? And James says real wisdom is not proven by how

much you know. It is proven by how you live.

This message confronts the kind of fake wisdom that sounds smart but

leaves a mess. Wisdom driven by envy, selfish ambition, pride,

comparison, control, or the need to win may look convincing, but it does not

come from God. You can sound right and still be led wrong.

Pastor Ezra shows that God’s wisdom produces a different kind of fruit. It is

pure, peace-loving, considerate, willing to listen, full of mercy, impartial,

sincere, and marked by humility. Peace does not mean avoiding hard

things. Peace means handling hard things like Jesus.

The application is simple: check the fruit. Before you call something

wisdom, ask what it is producing. Is it producing humility or pride? Peace or

disorder? Mercy or judgment? Is it making you look more like Jesus, or is it

just helping you get your way?

Because real wisdom is measured by what your life produces. And if it is

really wisdom, the fruit should look like Jesus.