Real maturity requires humility, and humility requires loosening the grip on the things that pull the heart away from God. James exposes four of those things: (1) desires that divide us, (2) attachments that entangle us, (3) judgments that falsely elevate us, (4) and plans that exclude God. Each one reveals an area where the self can take a place that belongs to God. Spiritual maturity means learning to release those things rather than allowing them to control the heart. James brings everything toward the invitation to submit to God, draw near to Him, and humble ourselves before Him. Proximity to God and intimacy with God are not the same thing. The movement of the message is toward intentionally humbling ourselves before God and discovering again that God Himself is the treasure.

When we head the wisdom from God and not the wisdom from below, we lead a more beautiful life...one that radiates Jesus' beauty.

Words have incredible power to steer a life, build others up, and cause damage that cannot easily be undone. James makes it clear that taming the tongue is one of the most difficult marks of spiritual maturity. But changing speech is about more than getting better at catching the wrong words before they come out. Jesus says that the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. Anger, resentment, pride, insecurity, and other things that fill the heart eventually find their way into speech. The Holy Spirit’s work within begins changing what flows out. What fills the heart eventually flows through the mouth, so changing words requires changing their source.