June 11
The Beginning of Knowledge
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck. ––Proverbs 1:7-9, NKJV
There is a big difference between knowing Jesus died for you and living as if you actually believe it. Put a bit differently, what we believe determines our behavior. For example, If you believe your alma mater’s football team is going to make a championship run this fall, you are more likely to buy tickets to watch them play. (As a UCLA alum, I know I would … God knows it’s been a long time since my Bruins were in the national conversation.)
This concept that action follows belief cuts across every area of our lives. If you believe that you’ve met the woman of your dreams, your actions will follow. You will woo her, court her, and try to impress her. Or, if you believe that your child is struggling in math, you will take the appropriate actions (spend more time helping them with homework, hire a tutor, etc.).
So here’s my question for you today: Does your spiritual life reflect the belief that Jesus is exactly who He said He was? This isn’t a trick question, and I’m not trying to ply you with theological semantics. Simply put, many men of God (including yours truly) go through times when they live their lives as functioning agnostics. We pay lip service to the idea that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, yet our lives produce little fruit. Or we attend church, say the right things in our midweek small group, but there’s very little evidence that Jesus is active in our lives.
The brutal truth is that faith without works is dead. James wasn’t saying to us that “unless you are doing good works you are going to hell.” Not at all! Just as doing good works doesn’t earn you a place in heaven, so the lack of the same doesn’t send you to hell. What he was saying is that when we believe that we have truly been forgiven … when we live our lives in the certainty that Jesus is the Son of God … and when we embrace the fact that the Holy Spirit is real and lives within us … that that belief will spill over into our daily life in a profound way. James has sobering words on the subject:
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ––James 2:18-20
So man of God, what is it exactly that you believe? Because actions follow belief. Knowledge alone doesn’t do much—I know atheists who have PhDs in religion, and Jesus tells us that even the demons know that He is the Son of God. Knowing about Jesus is not the same as believing in Him and giving your life to Him.
I’d encourage you to spend some time with God, asking Him to show you how you can more effectively activate the belief you have, and to reveal areas where He wants to help you grow. The good news is that there’s no shame in the process: God will never use shame to deepen your faith. But like a good Father, He does love you enough to not allow you to remain stuck.
Lord, help me rekindle my faith and see Jesus with fresh eyes. At times I have drifted spiritually, and lived my life with very little fruit. Allow me to move beyond head knowledge and to once again have passion for You.