Devotions this week based on Sunday’s Message: Compass: GROW in grace and knowledge! (LISTEN HERE)
Grow in knowledge.
Are you a fan of the game show, Jeopardy? Or the board game “Trivia Pursuit”?
If you are a storehouse of random facts and bits of information, you probably love these two games. If you feel like your brain is not meant to store seemingly meaningless information, you find something else to do when this is on TV or the game is suggested.
Sometimes we feel like knowledge is overrated. Maybe you spent four years earning a college degree and find yourself using the information very little. Maybe you asked the question in high school while learning proofs and theorems in geometry, “And WHY do we have to know this?”
Perhaps we have taken our spiritual knowledge in a similar way. A new Bible study offered at your church, “Ah, I’ve already heard that before and I’m busy anyway.” A free moment to read a bit of Scripture, “We covered that in Sunday School when I was young.” Growing in our knowledge of the Bible and its application in our lives we can sometimes feel is overrated.
God forgive us.
King Solomon realized that knowledge and wisdom were foundational components of God’s people to find certainty in salvation and confidence and blessing in life. To ignore growing, learning, understanding, knowledge and wisdom was to be a fool.
And no one wants to be a fool.
Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; 3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
When the Apostle Peter took Solomon’s advice and encouraged us to do the same, he desired we grow in “the knowledge of Jesus Christ” for two reasons.
- Grow in the knowledge of Christ and what he has said (all of his Word).
Let me be blunt. In general we live is a culture of biblical ignorance. That may apply to you, it may not. Most people don’t know Bible characters and stories that revolve around Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. Snippets of Bible information are gleaned in philosophy classes in college, Hollywood references in movies, or poor quotations from politicians aired on the evening news. Many “think” they know what the Bible says, but few know what the Bible says. This sounds condescending, but I want to encourage every Christian who reads this to be intentional about KNOWING what is in the Bible. Read it…every day…or at least a few times a week. Get to know the Bible’s characters, the Bible stories, and the Bible truths. Know that Haggai is in the Old Testament and Titus is in the New Testament. Become familiar with what the Bible says. Why? So when you hear or read something that is NOT in the Bible, but claims to be from the Bible you are grounded in the knowledge of the truth, not the hearsay of someone else. “Let the wise add to their learning.”
- Grow in the knowledge of Christ to view the world through the lens of the Lord.
Solomon penned, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” It does not appear that Solomon is limiting the fear of the Lord to the beginning of just biblical or spiritual knowledge. It is a general statement that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of ALL knowledge. Wisdom comes when I view all of life through the lens of the Lord. After all, as we trust that God is the Creator of all things, he has formed the fabric of all that we study from biology to psychology, from engineering to history, from medicine to mechanics. The world and the Lord’s hand are involved in everything. God’s wisdom gives perspective to the rise and fall of nations. God’s order gives credence to the study of mathematics of the inquiries to the quantum mechanics of the universe. God’s perspective on identity, value and relationships form a foundation for counseling and relationship coaching.
When we see life through the lens of the Lord, knowledge isn’t just facts and figures, but impact and blessing in our lives and through us to others.
So grow…in knowledge.
Make a commitment to grow in your relationship to the Lord and his Word of truth. Be wise and add to your learning!
Apply: Where are you going to start?
Prayer: Lord thank you for so many areas that I can grow in my knowledge. Help me view each of them through a love and fear of you! AMEN.