Effective Series: Knowledge

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge." (2 Peter 1:3-5).

What I love about this section in Scripture, and what I hope to convey in this series, is that these traits stack onto each other like Legos; and similarly to their toy-block counterparts, if you're looking to build something specific, you need to stack the blocks in a particular manner. In regards to effectiveness in one's calling, it all starts with a call to faith, then comes character to sustain you, and on top of that is the knowledge to create action. You'll often hear people say that you don't have to know a lot to spread the Gospel, this is absolutely true. What's also true is that knowledge and wisdom will almost certainly raise your "ceiling" or your "floor," and that will make you more effective. Let me tell you why.

The Circle of Life

Every one of you reading this entry began your life as a newborn baby. Picture it. You come into the world, you can barely see, your motor and conversational skills are undeveloped, and thus you are at the will of your caretakers—though you have some influence with some tears and stenches. There's a level of grace and care which you must impart on a newborn. It's a parent/guardian's job to teach you how to sit, then walk, then you run; you make some cooing noises, then you form your first words, then you speak sentences and converse with others; you get a feel for how to move your fingers, you learn to grab things, then to hand them to other, then to throw and catch them.

In life, there are some trivial but necessary steps which will stack onto one another, then eventually a grown, adult human being roams the world to impart on it what he or she has to share. That growth cycle that babies go through is mirrored in our walks with Christ and our steps through purpose; the difference between a baby and an adult, both physically and in the Spirit, is time spent accumulating knowledge and applying it to develop skills and wisdom.

Why Bother with "Knowledge"?

"An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." (Proverbs 18:15)

"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge..." (Hosea 4:6a)

"A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might..." (Proverbs 24:5)

Long story short, Scripture often tells us that knowledge and strength go hand-in-hand. This makes sense for a few reasons. First, like a baby, we're helpless without knowledge; it's very difficult to go anywhere if you don't know it exists or how to get there. Second, knowledge without the ability to use it is generally a waste of storage, though this depends on what your goal is. Third, strength without knowledge will get you in trouble more often than not—imagine a bodybuilder or powerlifter in the ring with a gold-medal boxer; he probably doesn't stand much of a chance, because his appearances can't make up for years of boxing experience. Knowledge (paired with action) is what enables us to move forward; that being said, it might be good to know what exactly we're supposed to know, and I believe that it's useful to split our "information gathering" into a few pools: 1) Knowledge of Self, 2) Knowledge of Others, 3) Knowledge of God, and 4) Knowledge of the Environment.

Essentially, you have to know yourself (what you place your identity in, what motivates you, what triggers certain reactions, your strengths, and your weaknesses), you have to know others (be mindful and present to understand those around you, make an effort to learn about those close to you what you're learning about yourself), you have to know God (spend time with Him in prayer and get to know Him through His Word—the Bible—and through the words of others who know Him), and you have to know your environment (be aware of what's going on around you physically and spiritually, and understand what the task at hand requires of you).

Knowledge is good, it comes from the Lord (Proverbs 20:15, Isaiah 11:2); it enables growth, understanding, and wisdom; it increases our capacity for action; and it's absolutely vital that we make a practice of acquiring it often. Spend time studying life, pay attention to what's going on inside of you, around you, and in the Spirit, and you will be well on your way to consistent Kingdom effectiveness.

Be blessed.

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Verses to Look Back On:

2 Peter 1:3-11*

Psalm 1:1-6

Psalm 119:9-16

Proverbs 2:1-22

1 Peter 2:1-3