Tag Archives: Knowledge

Simple and Beautiful Faith

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Knowing God, through faith, is a beautiful thing. Seriously, think about it.

How many folks in life struggle with meaning? With purpose? With forgiveness? With peace?

How many folks seek to know through knowledge? Or reason? Or understanding?

Yes, faith can be simplistic. Yes, it can even seem foolish to world and to the culture to believe what can seem unbelievable. To have hope in a hopeless situation. To cling to good in a world seemingly racked with evil.

Yes, it can seem simple. And that’s what makes it beautiful.

Listen to what Jesus says in today in Luke 10:21-24:

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

fc_faithThese truths of faith, this joy and peace and hope and beauty of faith is hidden from the wise and understanding and revealed to little children. The kings and prophets longed to know what we see and understand.

How can this be? How can an uneducated grandmother or a 5-year-old boy have a deeper knowledge than someone so wise, so educated, so understanding?

Because it’s about simple faith. It’s about knowing, through faith, that God loves us. That God cares for us. That God will not leave us.

Through faith. Through belief. Through hope. Simple faith.

Faith that says, even through I don’t understand, I believe. That faith changes lives. That faith changes churches. That faith changes the world.

St. Augustine said – “Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.” It is faith that makes understanding possible. Simple, childlike faith.

Without it, none of this makes sense. With it, everything makes sense.

Today, may we not seek to “understand” let us seek to believe and have faith. And then, only then, will we understand.

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Puffed Up?

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It’s important for us to always been learning. It’s important for us to always be growing.

This side of heaven there is always something more that we should know. This side of heaven there is always more for us to learn.

That is very important. Knowledge is very important. Learning and growing is very important.

God gave us a mind for a reason. God wants us to use it.

But, as important as learning is, it is not most important.

Ok, then what is most important? Listen to what Paul tell us today in 1 Corinthians 8: 1-3:

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

Knowledge is important. But Love. Love is most important. Knowledge, without love, puffs us.

Today, if we want to make a difference in the lives of others, knowledge is important. We need to know the Bible and know how to talk about it.

But what makes the biggest difference is this – love. Love makes all the difference. In our lives. And in the lives of others.

May we not neglect knowledge. But may we cling to love above all else.

For to love to show the world who God really is.