Whac-A-Mole: Relativism — Friday
James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (NIV)
One of the greatest joys I’ve been blessed to experience the last ten years is watching my five incredible nieces and nephews grow up. I’ve watched them laugh and cry, play and fight, be obedient and obstinate. They’re at this incredibly fun age in life where everything is new and exciting. There is so much for them to learn and take in. There is so much knowledge for them to filter through. With the internet, they have far more access to knowledge than I did at their age and, like me, they want to know it all.
Many of the men and women I lead in small groups or Bible classes have the same thirst for knowledge, and I love it. However, I find that many people inevitably fall into the alluring trap of seeking trivia over transformation. Beth Moore put it best when she stated, “Wisdom is knowledge applied. Head knowledge is useless on the battlefield. Knowledge stamped on the heart makes one wise.”
The trivia becomes trivial if it’s not transformational.
When our Good Father gifted us with His Holy Word, it wasn’t so we could win Bible Jeopardy. He gave us the Bible and the gift of the Holy Spirit so we could know Him and be transformed by Him. The knowledge we receive must be applied. Otherwise, what good is it? What purpose does it serve? Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Friday’s Reflection
Is your foundation on the rock? Colossians 1:9 says, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (ESV). Just like Paul prayed for the church in Colossae, pray that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then apply what you pray.