James 3:16 "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."

Disorder in purpose, disorder in truth, disorder in unity. These are three things that come to mind as I consider the results of the world's wisdom reigning in a life.

Disorder in purpose. A.W. Tozer said, "God is trying to call us back to that for which He created us, to worship Him and to enjoy Him forever." Since the fall, there has been this ongoing war, this inner turmoil in the human soul between fulfilling his ultimate purpose in creating us or chasing the wisdom of this world. Our default mode is to act on our selfish desires, yet there is still this longing, this "God shaped vaccuum," as Blaise Pascal refers to it, that leaves us restless and wandering, drawing us to God. It is never fully satisfied with anything but God. This is a confusion of desires - the pull between living for self, or bowing in humility before God.

Disorder in truth. Even after a heart separated from God repents, the wisdom of this world still seeks to entice. It is loud and deceiving and it promises happiness to those who rebel against God, to whose who place themselves in control, stiffnnecked against God, refusing to bow before him. Daily it seeks to distract me from my purpose. The lies of this worldly wisdom enter my mind creating confusion. "You will never find victory," "It isn't worth it," "Go ahead, take some glory for yourself." All these things try to convince me to revert back to the life of self, the life of misery, striving to do what I can't do on my own, seeking fullfillment but never finding. I am torn and must remind myself again of Hebrews 12, "...let us throw off everything that entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross..."

Disorder in unity. As Roy Hession puts it, "...the thing in us that reacts so sharply to another's selfishness and pride is simply our own selfishness and pride which we are unwilling to sacrafice." As i feed the selfish ambition in my heart, it brings disunity, because suddenly, I am not looking our for the bodh, but am looking out for myself. Fellowship and harmony are ruined, not only between myself and other members of the body but also between myself and God. Paul instructs the Phillipines (Phil 2), "...make my joy complete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humiltiy consider others better than yourselves." Unity in the body of Christ has no room for selfish ambition.