Knowledge Isn't Enough

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:15 & 3:16-17, ESV)

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Our world seems to value knowing "stuff" so much. The information age (and the accompanying overload) have given us 24x7 access to pretty much everything. Yet in the midst of our hurried and harried lifestyles, the art of true study has taken a back seat - or even worse. So many of us have lost or never even had the patience, diligence, and just plain old desire to really learn about something and experience it deeply. And even those that do study, narrow their focus to the point where the results don't lead to much more than being a knowledgeable expert on a subject which nobody really cares about anyway.

As one of the topics in his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard foster discusses the pursuit of study. He equates true study with the "thinking on these things" we know so well from Philippians 4:8. And study isn't limited to books or articles or research either. Study includes the observation of our world around us and the people we encounter. Study embraces every possible aspect of learning so that we may evaluate the lesson to be learned and see how it can deepen our relationship to God and, in turn, cause us to advance His Kingdom here and now.

In my travels on this Crooked Path, I will doubtless acquire knowledge of all kinds. I should never allow myself to think that knowledge is, by itself, sufficient as a means to an end. I need to go deeper and study ... learn. I must reach out to the One Teacher who will shape my mind so I reflect Christ, not just facts and knowledge, to all who I encounter. Only a true student of the Master can achieve that end.