Prove It: Wisdom Is More Than Words

Wisdom Isn't What You Know. It's What You Show.

James 3:13 asks a piercing question:

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."

At first glance, it feels simple.

But sit with it for a moment, and it will start to unsettle you.

James doesn't ask who can explain wisdom. He asks who can show it.

This is where the tension lives. Many of us, whether in faith, relationships, or careers, know how to present ourselves well. We can speak with confidence, list our accomplishments, frame our stories so they shine.

But James reminds us that true wisdom is not measured in presentation.

It's measured in demonstration.

Eventually, who you really are will bleed through.

And that's either a comforting or a convicting thought.

The Resume Doesn't Tell the Story

Think about hiring someone.

Their resume lists impressive credentials. Their interview answers are polished. Their references say all the right things. So you bring them on board.

Then three months in, you discover who they actually are.

Do they take feedback or get defensive? Do they collaborate or compete? Do they admit mistakes or deflect blame? Do they lift the team or drain it?

The resume got them in the door. Their character determined whether they stayed.

Wisdom is not a clever argument. It's a consistent life.

You see this everywhere once you start looking:

The leader who talks about integrity but cuts ethical corners when the quarter looks bad.

The pastor who preaches grace but treats staff with contempt behind closed doors.

The parent who lectures about honesty but lies to get out of commitments.

The entrepreneur who brands themselves as people-first but burns through employees.

What you live will always speak louder than what you say.

Two Kinds of Wisdom, Two Different Lives

Here's where James gets specific: deeds done in humility.

The original word for humility is prautēs, which means strength under control. This isn't the humility of shrinking back or playing small. It's the humility of someone strong enough to listen, patient enough to wait, wise enough to know that power is safest when surrendered to God.

Worldly wisdom climbs ladders, controls narratives, wins applause. It asks: How can I leverage this? How do I come out on top? How do I protect my position?

Godly wisdom bends low, serves, lets the fruit of a good life be its testimony. It asks: How can I serve here? How does this honor God? How do I help others flourish?

The two aren't just different. They're opposed.

And here's the sobering part: the people around you can usually tell which one you're living by.

What Leaks Out Under Pressure

Jesus said in Luke 6:45, "What you say flows from what is in your heart."

Think of your heart like a reservoir. Whatever fills it will eventually overflow.

If bitterness fills it, bitterness will leak into your tone, your decisions, your leadership.

If pride fills it, pride will surface when you're challenged or corrected.

If love fills it, love will spill out when it costs you something.

You cannot hide what's inside forever. Pressure reveals it.

Consider these moments:

Your biggest client threatens to leave unless you compromise your values. What leaks out?

Your direct report misses a deadline for the third time. What leaks out?

Someone takes credit for your idea in a meeting. What leaks out?

Your competitor lands the deal you thought was yours. What leaks out?

A team member asks for a mental health day during your busiest week. What leaks out?

These aren't hypothetical scenarios. They're the laboratory where wisdom gets tested.

And the overflow is the proof.

The Monday Morning Wisdom Test

Let's make this concrete.

You walk into a meeting. The room is tense. Your team missed projections. Leadership wants answers. All eyes turn to you.

Worldly wisdom's move: Deflect. Spin the data. Point to external factors. Protect yourself first.

Godly wisdom's move: Own what's yours. Ask what the team learned. Propose a clear path forward. Protect your people while taking responsibility.

Or this scenario:

You're in a one-on-one with someone who keeps underperforming. You're frustrated. You've had this conversation before.

Worldly wisdom's approach: Document everything for HR. Start managing them out. Protect the business.

Godly wisdom's approach: Ask what's really going on. Listen for what you might have missed. Offer support while maintaining standards. See the person, not just the problem.

One more:

Your company is restructuring. You have to let people go. You know it's necessary, but it's brutal.

Worldly wisdom's way: Make it quick. Keep it transactional. Move on fast.

Godly wisdom's way: Grieve with them. Honor their contribution. Help with the transition. Remember they're made in God's image, not just a line item.

Wisdom isn't what you know in these moments.

It's what you show.

The Hidden Fruit No One Sees

Here's what's easy to miss: most of wisdom's work happens in private.

The decision to apologize when no one forced you to.

The choice to listen when you already have the answer.

The discipline to pray before reacting.

The integrity to do right when no one will know if you didn't.

The humility to ask for help when you could fake it.

These moments don't make your highlight reel. They don't get celebrated in company meetings. They don't earn social media engagement.

But they build the foundation of who you actually are.

And eventually, that foundation shows.

James isn't calling you to perform wisdom. He's calling you to become wise.

There's a massive difference.

What This Demands From Leaders

If wisdom is proven by demonstration, then leadership carries a specific weight.

You don't get to say you value people and then schedule meetings at 9 PM without apology.

You don't get to preach collaboration and then hoard information to maintain control.

You don't get to claim integrity and then doctor the numbers when they're inconvenient.

You don't get to talk about work-life balance and then shame people who set boundaries.

Your team doesn't need your mission statement. They need to see it lived.

And when you fail (because you will), godly wisdom owns it. Apologizes. Makes it right. Learns from it.

That's strength under control.

That's prautēs.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Fruit

Jesus said you'll know a tree by its fruit.

Not by its leaves. Not by its height. Not by how impressive it looks from a distance.

By its fruit.

So ask yourself:

What fruit is your leadership producing in the people around you?

Are they growing or grinding? Flourishing or surviving? Inspired or exhausted?

Are they becoming more like Christ or more like corporate clones?

Do they feel safe to fail, or terrified to make mistakes?

Do they trust you with their growth, or do they just comply until they can leave?

The fruit tells the truth.

And if you don't like what you're seeing, you can't just change the messaging. You have to change what's filling your heart.

Today's Challenge

If you claim to trust God, prove it by starting your day anchored in Him, not in your anxiety about outcomes.

If you claim to love your neighbor, prove it by noticing the colleague everyone overlooks and treating them like they matter.

If you claim to follow Jesus, prove it by choosing humility when pride could win you quick applause.

In your workplace, prove wisdom not by having all the answers but by asking better questions, listening deeply, and admitting when you're wrong.

This isn't about perfection.

It's about proof.

And the proof isn't one big moment. It's a thousand small choices that compound into character.

A Prayer for Leaders Who Want to Show, Not Just Say

God,

I'm tired of the gap between what I say and what I do.

I can talk about wisdom, but living it? That's where I stumble.

Teach me prautēs. Strength under control. The kind of humility that listens when I want to defend. The kind of patience that waits when I want to force. The kind of wisdom that bends low when the world says to climb.

Show me what's really in my heart. The bitterness I've been ignoring. The pride I've been excusing. The fear I've been masking with control.

I don't want to just sound wise. I want to be wise.

Help me lead in a way that proves Your work in me. Not perfectly, but genuinely. Not for applause, but for Your glory.

When I'm under pressure today, let what leaks out be evidence of Your Spirit, not just my scrambling.

Let my life be the loudest sermon I preach.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Reflection and Journal Questions

Don't rush these. They're designed to expose, not comfort.

1. Think about the last conflict you had at work. What leaked out of you under that pressure? Not what you wish had come out. What actually did. What does that reveal about what's filling your heart right now?

2. If your team was asked to describe your leadership in one word, what would they say? Not what you hope they'd say. What they'd actually say. Write it down. Then write the word you wish they'd use. What's the gap?

3. Name a specific moment in the last week when you chose worldly wisdom over godly wisdom. What were you protecting? What were you afraid of? What would choosing prautēs have looked like instead?

4. Who is someone in your sphere you talk about caring for but don't actually show up for? Write their name. What's one concrete thing you could do this week to prove your care with action, not words?

5. Your direct report asks for a mental health day during your busiest week. Write two responses: one from pride, one from humility. Which one is closer to what you'd actually say? Why?

6. What fruit is your leadership currently producing in the people closest to you? Be brutally honest. Are they growing or grinding? Flourishing or surviving? What would need to change in you for the fruit to change?

7. What's one area where the gap between your words and your life is widest right now? Not theoretically. Specifically. What's one action you'll take this week to close that gap?

Take a moment. Breathe.

Let your life be louder than your words today.