Traditional wooden boat in delta area of Bangladesh
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Cor 2:10b-11
I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening
your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
Philemon 1:6
1 Cor 2:10b-11
I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening
your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
Philemon 1:6
How Deep Should We Go?
The Little Lessons on Surrender provide the basic knowledge and tools for seeking and following God's will, and we should seek His will for us about how much deeper we should go in our understanding of our faith, what we should read or listen to, and when. Generally it is good to seek to deepen our knowledge and understanding (wisdom), as long as we are being led by God, and not learning more so we can show off our knowledge.
It is a common experience for God to lead us to just the right book or other spiritual material at just the right time in our spiritual journey. One example in my life occurred on a business trip. I had been training people who assemble the GPS satellites in a Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility north of Philadelphia, and on my way to Cape Canaveral the following week, I visited a Christian friend who lived in Marietta, Georgia. The small guest bedroom had only a bed and a nightstand. On the nightstand was a book titled Devotional Classics, by Richard J. Foster. It had over fifty short entries on a variety of Catholic and Protestant writers grouped into sections such as Preparing for the Spiritual Life, The Prayer-Filled Life, and The Spirit-Empowered Life. I stayed up a bit later than I had planned reading selections from Francis de Sales, John of the Cross, and Catherine of Siena, and it was that book that introduced me to Brother Lawrence and the concept of praying continually. As soon as I returned home, I purchased the book and its companion volume—Spiritual Classics, and those books helped lead me to much of my subsequent reading.
Delicate Balance
There are limits to how much knowledge we should seek, and the Bible warns about the misuse of knowledge. Just as it would be dangerous to head out into deep water when we don't have the equipment or experience to do so, Sirach 3:21 says that we should "Neither seek what is too difficult for us, nor investigate what is beyond our power." This verse reminds us that much of Christianity is a mystery, and that mystery will not be made clear to us until God calls us home to heaven, so I don't worry when there are things I don't understand. 1 Cor 8:1 tells us that "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." This reminds us that God is love, and love is more important than anything else, so I have to be careful not to let my quest for knowledge get in the way of my love for God and my neighbor.
The Little Lessons on Surrender provide the basic knowledge and tools for seeking and following God's will, and we should seek His will for us about how much deeper we should go in our understanding of our faith, what we should read or listen to, and when. Generally it is good to seek to deepen our knowledge and understanding (wisdom), as long as we are being led by God, and not learning more so we can show off our knowledge.
It is a common experience for God to lead us to just the right book or other spiritual material at just the right time in our spiritual journey. One example in my life occurred on a business trip. I had been training people who assemble the GPS satellites in a Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility north of Philadelphia, and on my way to Cape Canaveral the following week, I visited a Christian friend who lived in Marietta, Georgia. The small guest bedroom had only a bed and a nightstand. On the nightstand was a book titled Devotional Classics, by Richard J. Foster. It had over fifty short entries on a variety of Catholic and Protestant writers grouped into sections such as Preparing for the Spiritual Life, The Prayer-Filled Life, and The Spirit-Empowered Life. I stayed up a bit later than I had planned reading selections from Francis de Sales, John of the Cross, and Catherine of Siena, and it was that book that introduced me to Brother Lawrence and the concept of praying continually. As soon as I returned home, I purchased the book and its companion volume—Spiritual Classics, and those books helped lead me to much of my subsequent reading.
Delicate Balance
There are limits to how much knowledge we should seek, and the Bible warns about the misuse of knowledge. Just as it would be dangerous to head out into deep water when we don't have the equipment or experience to do so, Sirach 3:21 says that we should "Neither seek what is too difficult for us, nor investigate what is beyond our power." This verse reminds us that much of Christianity is a mystery, and that mystery will not be made clear to us until God calls us home to heaven, so I don't worry when there are things I don't understand. 1 Cor 8:1 tells us that "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." This reminds us that God is love, and love is more important than anything else, so I have to be careful not to let my quest for knowledge get in the way of my love for God and my neighbor.