James 3:13-18 ... Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?
let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of
wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts,
glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not
from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and
strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and
without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of
them that make peace.
Exhortation: Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
One of the main works of the flesh is to outdo other people ... to compete ... to strive to be #1 ... (Gal. 5 ... emulation)
The flesh loves to exalt itself, thus desire to be wise ...
The flesh loves to be admired by other humans ... physical appearance and such ...
All these worldly desires which are rampant among us are desires of our own flesh.
But we who are of God keep our flesh crucified with Christ so we can serve God, doing HIS will, instead of the will of our flesh. We are "buried" with Christ so we can be "raised" with Christ and therefore instead of serving our own flesh we now can serve God. (Romans 6)
When we see an athlete make a good play and cross himself or raise his hands toward the heaven to indicate "thank God", we know this is not spiritual but fleshly. For it is the flesh that competes to beat others.
For several years, I played bridge. Often I would think of Jesus and Paul and I just could not picture Jesus and Paul at a bridge table trying to beat other people. Finally, I quit bridge.
Paul told us to "make ourselves of no reputation" ... Phil. 2 This is exactly opposite to that which our flesh wants to do. People dress to impress other humans and to make people think well of them. People earn college degrees to put themselves ahead of others in their field. People do all manner of competition to win over others. These are all fleshly, desires of our own flesh, not of God.
Thus Paul says ... Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Phil. 2