James 3:17 says, “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.”

Wisdom that flows from the heart of the Father, through His beloved Son – “by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)

Jesus told the disciples that “it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you”…. And, “when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:7,13)

Wisdom from the heart of the Father, through His Beloved Son Jesus, revealed to us by Holy Spirit, Who lives in / with our spirit. From the One Who sees the end from the beginning. This Wisdom, this Understanding, this Knowledge, this Counsel reveals His higher thoughts, His higher ways, always for our good.

In contrast, earthly wisdom demonstrates its nature, character, and source; as described also in James chapter 3.

James 3:14-15 explains, “if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.”

There are so many different directions I could go from here. That said, I believe I am to share that one of the foundational constructs of Wisdom from God is that – because He is omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal – Kingdom wisdom may be recognized by its characteristic of being “both/and.” It transcends logic. It appears paradoxical, yet is Truth.

A few examples:

In the Kingdom of Heaven…

You must die to live
You must give to receive
You must lay down your life to keep it for eternal life
You must surrender to receive authority

The foundational construct of earthly wisdom is that of “either/or.”

One day I was pondering the scripture in John 14:17, which says “The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.” I asked the Lord why this is, why can’t people see and receive Truth from Holy Spirit?”

He showed me a picture of the most basic of computer languages, and that it operates in only ones or zeros; either on or off – “Either / Or.” And the understanding that came with this picture is that – like the framework for a house, the scaffolding of a construct, or the proverbial “round peg in a square hole,” that earthly wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel are birthed and fed from the either/or paradigm.

Therefore, one cannot see and receive Wisdom from above (“Both/And”) if one’s paradigm, viewpoint, processing is “either/or.”

In the kingdoms of the earth – where “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” feed all manner of strife, division, and hypocrisy – the justification for these choices and behaviors is from the mindset of orphan-hood – where self protection and self provision are the highest priority. It is viewed through a lens of comparison and lack.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, comparison does not exist; in fact, it is not valid – for that matter, in either the Kingdom of Heaven or the kingdoms of the earth. We were each created uniquely and intended to compliment one another. The ability to celebrate one another is founded upon having one’s security in who we are and Whose we are. As son’s of the most High, our priority and focus are on Another, instead of self.

A few examples of either/or operational in earthly kingdoms:

Either I have what I need or someone else has what they need.
Either I get recognized or someone else gets the accolades.
Either I win or lose.
Either I succeed or fail.

The list goes on in the flow fueled by comparison.

There is much more to be explored; yet, I feel constrained to limit this blog to allow us to process the concepts of “Both/And” vs “Either/Or.”

May the eyes of our understanding be opened…….