Somewhere the Apostle James picked up the nickname 'camel knees' due to all the time he spent praying.
But James also gave one of the best descriptions of wisdom outside of the book of Proverbs.
In his letter, James contrasts earthly wisdom with that which comes from above (Jas.3:13-18).
I've summarized the qualities of each here:
Earthly Wisdom:
- bitterly jealous
- selfishly ambitious
- arrogant
- lies against the truth
- worldly
- unspiritual
- demonic
- leads to disorder and every evil thing
Wisdom from Above:
- possesses understanding
- leads to good behavior
- gentle
- pure
- peaceable
- full of mercy and good fruits
- unwavering
- without hypocrisy
Keeping this contrast in mind will take you a long way in navigating our contemporary culture.
And it will help you keep yourself on the path of good judgement and wise conduct too.