Wisdom and Knowledge

-


Scripture:

Col. 2:2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself,
Col. 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Observation:

Humanity has always been on a search for wisdom and knowledge, but for the Christian there is one place where this wisdom and knowledge can be found, and that is, in Christ.  God’s mystery is bound up in his endless love for the humanity which he created.  This holy love became incarnate and was revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus are “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  Therefore it is when we find ourselves “in Christ” that we discover all wisdom and knowledge for it does not come from anything external, but only in relationship to Christ.

Application:

Trying to gain wisdom and knowledge outside of Christ is ultimately futile.  Are there a lot of “smart” people in the world — sure!  But are there a lot of really “wise” people in the world? 

The most powerful combination that we encounter is a gifted and talented person who lives in humility in relationship with Christ.  When our talents and abilities are placed in humble service before the Lord then those human abilities become combined with the nature of Christ and something happens on an exponential level.  Being smart and being a Christian are not two mutually exclusive things!  Instead, being intelligent and getting to know Christ is an incredibly powerful experience and places people in positions where they can have an influence on the shaping of the world politic and culture. 

To have wisdom and knowledge means that we must know Christ.  We must understand that he is the source that unlocks the mystery of God for his people.  When we try to explain and/or rationalize the things of this world, or the things that we can see, feel and touch without the mystery of Christ we lack true understanding.  Christ must be the center and the lens through which we view all things.  Only in this way will we even begin to catch a glimpse of the “treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for bringing me back to focusing on you.  Thank you for providing a lens through which I may see and seek to understand. Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more