One of the most overlooked New Testament writings is the letter of James. I have always thought that he speaks to me through his up-to-date language and down-to-earth good sense, especially in 3:13-18, "Who is wise and understanding among you? The wisdom that comes from heaven is pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere."

From my point of view, he must have been writing to philosopher friends who most likely thought they were pretty wise and above question when they philosophized.

When many of us are asked to describe such wise guys, we usually envision a remote mountain cave. In the cave sits an old long-bearded skinny man with bad teeth, wearing a ragged robe and staring off into space. He waits for the exhausted mountain climber who will ask, "What is the meaning of life?"

He just may know the answer, "My son, I know the answer, but I'm not going to tell you because you have to figure it out for yourself. Don't trip on your way out."

Is wisdom the ability to win on Jeopardy, knowing not to split a pair of face cards at Las Vegas or betting on which teams will play in the Sweet 16 basketball finals? Wisdom is not counting on luck.

James means being able to live out our lives finding favor in the eyes of God and of our fellow human beings. It takes a lot of wisdom to do that.

The Bible tells us that all Israel stood in awe at the ability of King Solomon. He was a brilliant lawyer, botanist, zoologist and farmer. "God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond all measure and largeness of mind like the sand on the seashore."

The queen of Sheba — maybe Ethiopia — said to him, "Behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard!"

According to I Kings, he wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.

Here's what we just might not know. Solomon was not born naturally smart. His wisdom was a gift from God so he might govern his kingdom fairly. We know something about this wise man. He misused his gift so terribly that at his death, his kingdom was in chaos, split apart, never to recover. He was so wrapped up in political intrigue and cruelty to his subjects that he lost sight of God's purpose for his wisdom. Being a king got in the way of being a servant!

We may never be a Solomon, never have the wealth, the power or the possibility, and yet James tells us that we can be wise. Wisdom can be recognized and wisdom can be taught.

And, folks, do we need some wisdom ... right now! There comes a time when we sit down and begin to settle our disagreements. Not on the grounds of ideology, economics or convenience, but for survival. Wisdom can dictate that the rights of the people take precedence over the rights of the government. Wisdom can open up new ways of living that we could not have dreamed about. Whoa, the Bible knows where to begin. A quick look at Proverbs, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!"

We have to have a paradigm, a model, someone to be an example for us. There is only One who deserves our whole-hearted devotion, only One who has the absolute right to claim us from the top of our heads to the bottom of our feet. He is the One who answers our questions, "What is the meaning of life, how to live with ourselves, to find favor with God, how to be wise?"

He gave us the answer, so simple, and yet, hard to believe. "Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and your neighbor with the same concern and depth as you love yourself." We know the answer. Jesus Christ!

I began with a question and I will close with a question. It is not, "What is the meaning of life?" It is, "What is the meaning of your life?"

It is the discovery of who you are, what you are and what are you going to do with your life that gives you the reason to live. You are a child of God. You are that marvelous creature you call yourself! That's wisdom!

God gave us two great days, the day you were born and the day you figure out why!

Thanks, God!