September 3rd

Blind Corners, Hidden Driveways, Falling Rocks

We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3

You have probably met this kind of person. They are the ones who sit in your Bible class and ask the teacher off-topic questions, using terms you've never heard of and going over the heads of everyone else in the class except themselves.

Perhaps you have wondered at times if they were only trying to stump the teacher so as to prove they are the smartest person in the room. You have tried to figure out why they do this, torn between jealousy at how much they seem to know about God and skepticism as to how much all that knowledge is really worth.

But you figure, if they know so much about God, they really must have Christianity figured out, right?

Wrong. The truth is that they may not have God figured out, because the key to that mystery is not knowledge; it is love.

If you have met the kind of person I described above, then you have felt what it is like to be around someone who is puffed up. All their knowledge has inflated their view of themselves. Their flesh is so swollen around their eyes that they cannot see anyone except themselves.

The apostle Paul contrasts this kind of person with the one who genuinely loves God. This person, he says, is the one who knows God.

You can tell the difference immediately because the one who has love edifies. Another way of saying this is that love builds up. When you get around someone who loves God, you feel bigger and stronger than you did before because they built you up!

When I think of this, I see a picture in my mind. I see the person who loves like a strong castle. They are well built and fortified. You could live in this kind of castle. But the person who only has knowledge, I see them like a bouncy castle you rent for your kid's birthday party. They're all full of air and fluff with no real substance. They have nothing within them that you could use to build your life.

Knowledge has its place, but let's make sure we put love first.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You for loving me! I choose right now to pursue love. Thank You that as I love You, You will show Yourself to me more and more!

Amen