Knowledge and understanding

Isaiah 11:1-9
Numbers 16:20-35
Acts 28:23-31

We're back to the trouble with pride in these passages, even though the word doesn't appear anywhere in any of them. It's there, though, right under the surface. Korah and his followers though he knew better than God. The Jews in Rome met with Paul and listened to what he had to say from morning until night, yet thought they knew better. Our knowledge is faulty. On our own, we will often come to the wrong conclusions.

So how do we know the truth?

Paul quotes Isaiah who tell us. We turn to God. God brings understanding. Without this understanding, we see things in a skewed way. We get things wrong. We hold on too tight to wrong conclusions. We become set in our ways, thinking that we have all the answers.

Do not be swallowed up by your own conclusions as to how God and God's world works. Be open to what God is trying to tell you. Be humble in your convictions. Study God's word, and if you lack wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach. (James 1:6)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Something new

Psalm 80:1-7 Isaiah 42:10-18 Hebrews 10:32-35 If there is one thing that Jesus' birth is, it is God doing something new. It was so new that even though there are as many as 400 prophesies pointing toward Jesus, it still caught everyone of guard. A baby, born to average parents, laid in a manger because the inn was full, was to become the long awaited Messiah, the savior of God's people. Yet, He didn't come with armies. He didn't overthrow the Roman government. Heck, He didn't even suggest overthrowing the government. Instead, He did the opposite. He talked about loving your neighbor... and your enemy, being forgiving, being generous, and returning to God, so that the father who waits for you can run and welcome you home with open arms. Jesus was a man, yet also God. Turn to God, follow Jesus, and you will be saved. A result of that is God will write His law on your heart and mind, and you will be able to do the crazy kind of loving that Jesus calls us to do. T...
Read more

Hilarity

Isaiah 12:2-6 Amos 8:4-12 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 Money. It so often comes down to money, doesn't it? But it's also not really about money at all. It's not much different from the (long) discussion I had with a child yesterday. So much anger and bad behavior, but when we really boiled it down to what was going on, it was really just so much fear. Anger is the easier and more avoidant emotion. With money, it's not the money, it's the control. Money allows us to feel we are in control. Money allows us to feel we are secure. And money allows us to feel we do not need God. When we base our safety and security and status on money alone, something happens. Our safety, security, and status become increasingly more tenuous despite more and more money being piled up. Actually, I think we are coming right back around to fear again. I can tell you from years of living with it in other people (and myself), that fear is not conducive to pleasant or generous behavior. Fear cau...
Read more

Notes before beginning

I am going to try to respond to the daily lectionary readings during Advent. This is partially to give myself a structure as we start into the Advent season and partially just to see if I can do it. Before we begin, it seems a few notes are in order. For those not familiar with the liturgical church year, it begins with Advent which lasts four weeks. Christmas is celebrated for twelve days followed by Epiphany, which celebrates the visit of the magi to the Christ child. Following Epiphany comes the first section of Ordinary time, a time without a specific festival day. Lent, lasting for forty days is next, starting on Ash Wednesday. Lent ends with Holy Week, culminating with Easter. Easter is then celebrated for fifty days... forty days from resurrection to ascension, then ten more days until Pentecost. After Pentecost comes the second, and longer period of Ordinary time which lasts until Advent rolls around again. The lectionary is a proscribed set of Scripture readings either for...
Read more