The Age Of Much Knowledge...

Our society has been indoctrinated to believe that once you have attained a certain age/education/financial status/place in society, etc., you have all that you need in life. (Many times, people believe that they are wise rather than knowledgeable because of attaining one or more of these things!)  So often, people judge others by those worldly standards.  Jesus said to remove the plank from your eye before helping your brother/sister remove the splinter from theirs. Matthew 7:3-5 This is such a true and helpful statement.  Many times I’ve witnessed someone “advising” others when I could clearly see that that person was way off base about what they were saying. (Been there, done that, myself!!)  If we take a look at ourselves and “remove that plank” from our own eye, we would surely be surprised to see that what we thought was the case with someone may not be the case at all simply because our outlook through that plank was distorted.

 

The Bible says that a fool speaks much. Proverbs 29:11 A wise person listens and then speaks. Proverbs 1:5, Proverbs 12:15  Keep your tongue under control. Proverbs 21:23, James 1:26  Your words can hurt deeply, even if you never intended for them to do so.

 

I’ve recently had some folks make assumptions about me that were way off base simply because they were looking through the plank in their own eye.  Unfortunately, in many of these situations, it wasn’t my job to do the correcting(even though I wanted to!!). The Lord will fight for us, we need only be still. Exodus 14:14 However, there has been a time or two where I have felt it necessary to defend myself, so to speak.  I am called to be many things in God, but a door mat is not one of those things.  We are, however, called to love our neighbor as love ourselves. Matthew 22:39 Finding a healthy balance, as in all things, is the key.

 

In this journey of life, we rarely find someone who is at the same place in life that we are.  Be patient, be kind. 1 Corinthians 13:4-13  Don’t be a doormat, either.  Being a Christian isn’t an exercise in passivity, but rather a transformation in becoming more like Jesus.  Philippians 3:21, Romans 12:2 Jesus did not go around acting like a know it all, but he also was not passive.  He addressed things when and where they needed to be addressed.  He used wisdom. Age and knowledge, etc. will only produce wisdom when allowing ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, which involves repenting quickly when we sin and dying to self, among many other things.

 

Don’t allow yourself to fall prey to the “way” of our culture...in this "time of much knowledge".  And, be cautious, because much of the culture of this world has crept into the church, as well.  Read the Word; follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. (Don’t just take my word for it. Seek God in these things for yourself.) You will find that when you follow the Spirit of the living God, the worldly way of doing things is not the only way of doing things.  God’s ways are mysterious; they are not like the ways of man. Isaiah 55:8-9  Seek him for who he is.  Matthew 6:33  Ask him for wisdom.  He will not deny you. James 1:5  Look in the mirror of the gospel to find the plank(s) in your own eyes before you begin to help your neighbor with the much smaller splinter in theirs. James 1:23-24