TODAY’S VERSE
Ephesians 3:19a
…and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge… (ESV)
Jonathan made a key distinction in his sermon on Sunday: Education is not the path to formation.
We live in the Information Age. We can have pages full of content in our hands within seconds, and yet we haven’t seen that increase our world’s maturity. In some ways, it’s only made it worse.
Here’s an important question we have to ask (myself more than most): Are you trying to learn your way to Jesus?
When you open the Scriptures, what’s your intent? When you show up to church, what are you hoping for from the sermon? When you click play on a recent podcast or open the latest book, what’s your goal?
If you come to the Scriptures (and content surrounding Scripture) looking to gain more knowledge about God, be forewarned: you’ll be left wanting in the long run. Knowing more about God can be helpful and enlightening at times, but pursuing God for the sole purpose of intellectual curiosity (or stimulation) is not why Christ came into the world. And it’s also not the path to deeper obedience.
Have you ever left your time in the Scriptures disappointed that you didn’t come away with some fresh new perspective or nugget? Have you ever stopped a new book or podcast halfway through because you’ve “heard this all before?” We do this when we’re trying to learn more about God.
What if the purpose of immersing ourselves in the Scriptures wasn’t to increase our knowledge, but to deepen our awareness of God’s love for us and His presence to us? What if you opened your Bible simply to spend time with your Father rather than to think about Him?
Here’s what I’ve continued to learn over the years: 15 minutes of undistracted time each day in the loving presence of God can do far more than 3 hours a day of reading the greatest theologians. I’m not saying the latter wouldn’t be helpful; my friends and family know there’s not much more I’d rather do. But we must never forget this: there’s truly no substitute for simply abiding with your Father in Heaven. His presence in our lives is our only hope for true maturity.
APPLICATION
If you don’t already have this habit, set aside 15 minutes a day from now until Sunday to simply “waste time with God.” Go on a walk with no devices. Hang out on your porch. Sit on the floor of your closet with the lights turned off. Simply find a place where you can relax into God’s presence with no agenda.
PRAYER
Father, make us more aware of Your love towards us. Help us to not get distracted by the things close to You, but rather give us the strength to keep our eyes solely on You.