The Right Knowledge: The Next Door of Opportunity
For many of us, the unknown is daunting. It instigates insecurity within us because we don’t know what to expect or how to plan. For some, the unknown invites an invigorating adventure … meanwhile, the rest of us are left slightly unsettled.
Significant questions lacking definitive answers make me feel unclear. Tentative plans without details make me feel unprepared. Seasons of suffering with indistinct purposes make me feel uncertain. The truth is, not knowing makes me feel vulnerable.
The more curiosities I pursue, the more I realize how little I know. My human brain is extremely ill-equipped and hopelessly finite in comparison to the sheer amount of information available in the universe. Take science, plus current events, plus history, plus specialized fields of study, and I’m lost somewhere in the muddle.
Granted, worldly knowledge is beneficial in many instances. But heavenly wisdom is far more precious. The most important things to know are not in published dissertations, news articles, collegiate textbooks, or training manuals.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. – Proverbs 9:10
Far better to seek godly counsel than acquire earthly expertise, or even temporal wealth! Proverbs 16:16 proclaims, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
The reality is, I don’t know many things; but what I do know, I know for sure! I am unwaveringly confident in the truth of God’s promises contained in His Word. I am unchangingly secure in the depth of His love demonstrated through the crucifixion and resurrection of His Son.
Such knowledge is not anything I can obtain myself. It must come from God, in the form of guidance by the Holy Spirit and holy living in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Anytime I lack understanding, I know the God who knows, and that assures me. Certain things are not for me to know, but what I do need to know, God has already reavealed.
When I get overwhelmed by how much there is to learn, frustrated by how ignorant I can be, or disoriented in the tangle of differing ideas, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5).
God’s Provision: God’s way is perfect. He always guides His children in truth, sending instruction through fellow saints and leading us to Holy Scripture. Indeed, His Word is sufficient for all things, profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Breathed out by God Himself, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Word of the Week: Complete. God’s character—and His Word as an extension of His character—are flawless in every way. In the face of our unknowns, He knows all things, including us. He is a gracious and loving God who desires the complete restoration of His people. We lack; He abounds. For our all faults, flaws, and failings, God is complete.
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
There’s something about the smell of a rainy day that takes you back to an elementary school fall break spent with your great-great uncle and aunt in the Upper Peninsula, and of course, you wish you could go back there. Not just back to the UP, but back there to the days when you were a carefree kid without the weight of the world on your shoulders. You also wish you could tell that girl everything she needs to know and all these lessons so she could avoid hurt and pain and grow up way stronger.
But, you know it’s a good thing you can’t go back. Because if you did, you would miss out on all the ways God has revealed Himself to you. You would miss out on your faith made strong through Him. You wouldn’t depend on Him as much or come close to Him as much. Don’t long for a do-over. Don’t long to go back and avoid the pain. Thank God for every way He’s taught you more about Himself. Thank God for the ways He’s taught you to depend on Him. Thank God for the weakness that points you to His strength.
Those Michigan days were beautiful and peaceful and lovely. But what the hand of God has purposed in your life is more beautiful than the smell of the rain in Michigan.
Love,
Megan
Of all the people in your life, who knows you best? Your spouse, as your other half, might get first place in this department. Or one of your parents, maybe a child, who epitomizes your closest relationship and represents what you value most. Perhaps you have an intimate friend who has walked life’s journeys with you and knows your heart.
Personally, I can think of some who know me well but none who know me fully. I’m even an enigma to myself sometimes! Does anyone ever really know us fully? Can they?
I would answer yes to both … but we won’t find them in a partner, family member, or confidant. The only one who knows us truly is our Maker and Father, God Himself.
Psalm 139 paints the picture: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb … My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (13, 15-16, ESV).
Like God sculpted Adam out of the dust and breathed life into his nostrils, He is aware of every detail of our minds and bodies, because He built them.
This comforts me greatly, especially when I am appalled by my own sinfulness. Have you ever had that? Sometimes I can’t believe my own tendency to rebel, desire to indulge myself and harm others, temptation to please my flesh instead of God. Maybe you share the frustration. What is it with the human heart??
Jeremiah says it well. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (17:9). He shares God’s Word: “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (verse 10). Human beings are corrupt creatures indeed.
“Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?” – 1 Samuel 6:20
In our iniquity, none of us can present ourselves before the Holy and Living God. He is perfect, sinless, all-knowing. There is nothing we can hide from Him; He sees it all, pierces through our inner intentions, and yet—loves us!
How can that be? When I study the mirror, test my thoughts, and exasperate myself with my own grievances against God, I am constantly amazed at His forbearance, forgiveness, and faithfulness to complete His good work started in me. I am a sinner, but Christ is my Savior. Until I die, I will fight the sin in my life, which Christ has already conquered and freed me from. He is sanctifying me, and you, and everyone who penitently calls upon Him name.
God’s Provision: On one hand is Psalm 76:7. But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? On the other, our confident, undeserved hope. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Surely, whoever believes in him is not condemned! (John 3:18). His righteousness covers us—our new identity.
Word of the Week: Propitiation. A fancy way of saying atonement, appeasement, satisfaction. Christ pleased God on our behalf, fulfilling the duty we could not uphold and granting His perfection in place of our transgression. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25).
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
You can do brave things. Your God goes before you. He loves you. He will see you through. And you can be brave. And God can do so much with your little heart, that when you take that step of courage, He holds all and is sovereign over all and can do beyond what you could ever imagine.
All the heroes of faith listed in the Bible were people who struggled and had to do hard things, but they said yes. And God worked. And displayed His power in weakness. And showed His faithfulness in failure.
Brave is hard. Brave is worth it. Brave honors God.
And again, God goes before you. You don’t need to be brave alone with your own strength when you hold the hand of God.
Love,
Megan
Have you ever borrowed something from somebody? Be it a hand mixer or a minivan, chances are you treat others’ belongings with as much, if not more, care and respect than your own.
There’s some sort of reverence in being entrusted with an item owned by someone else. It causes us to treat it well, take good care of it, and think twice about how we’re using it. At least, that’s my experience!
When I’m permitted to use something I know I’ll be returning to another, I am much more conscientious about it. I think about how they’ll respond to my actions. I appreciate them for extending such a kindness to me. I want them to be pleased with my stewardship.
Remarkably, that description characterizes my very life as well. How about yours?
Christians belong to the Lord. Actually, everything does!
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. – Psalm 24:1
Believers are those who have submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ. They are baptized into the crucifixion of their Savior and raised to newness of life through His resurrection. As a follower of God, I am not my own.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.
– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
For some that might seem confining, restricting … you know, enslaving. But for me (and I hope for you too!), it is incredibly freeing. It is profoundly comforting. I belong to God because He purchased me from the bondage of sin and death. My mind, heart, body, and life are no longer mine, but His.
Every part of me is committed to Him. Every thought, desire, and decision should be centered around His will. Now, that doesn’t always happen, but the pattern of my life should daily be established in that direction.
One way I’ve seen that is simply in the use of time. I tend to get frustrated when I feel like time is being wasted, whether within or out of my control. But lately God has been reminding me that time is His too. “My” agenda, schedule, calendar, whatever I try to create and claim, is not mine. It’s His, along with everything else He’s made and is sustaining.
So if you find yourself uptight or let down about things in your life, maybe this can recenter you. Whose are you? Whose do you want to be?
God’s Provision: Salvation comes in Christ alone! He is the reason we can abandon ourselves and live a new life—His life, which He laid down for us and raised up again to the glory of God the Father. I love Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (verse 4). Amen!
Word of the Week: Ransome. “Obtain the release of (a prisoner) by making a payment demanded.” Through Christ Jesus, Almighty God has ransomed for Himself a collection of sinners-made-saints from every tribe, language, people, and nation to forever be a kingdom of His priests (Revelation 5:9-10). You and I have been rescued, redeemed, and restored! We are not our own but the beloved possession of our affectionate Savior.
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
In the different jobs you will hold as you grow up, learn to serve God through them. The tasks you will be assigned to do may not always be your favorite, and you may not always be the best at them either. I hope you’ll learn that complaining about them doesn’t help you. More than that, I hope you will learn to not be short-sighted as you do your work, only keeping your eyes on your job, but that you will be far-sighted as you look to the One you work for. When you look at Him, and you see the work you do through that lens, I hope your attitude toward work will begin to shift. You’ll wake up ready to accomplish God’s work instead of waking up to check all the things off your to-do list. Because waking up for a to-do list is not always going to be exciting, and maybe sometimes it’ll simply be overwhelming and exhausting. You’ll come across some boring tasks and things you’d simply rather not do because they don’t excite you, but as you glorify God in your work you can glorify Him even in those things.
Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” What a pair of verses to remind you it’s God who you work for, and that as your eyes are on Him, requiring the praise of your boss to feel like you’ve done a good job no longer matters, and that even if you really don’t love your work every day, joy is found in work done for God.
Love,
Megan
Sometimes we do the bare minimum. You’re pressed for time, so you only grab basic grocery items on your run to the store. Academic activities and extra curriculars are in full swing, and it’s all you can do just to get dinner on the table and the kids’ homework done. Your plate is full at work, so you whip out a barebones report and move on to the next thing.
I do the same. There are moments we must prioritize and, unfortunately, cut corners accordingly or decide which ball can afford to be dropped. Life is crazy that way and we aren’t perfect.
But God is. How thankful I am that He doesn’t do the bare minimum, never cuts corners, and refuses to let the ball drop!
Have you ever thought about that? God does not hold back His rich kindness toward us in Christ. He saved us from our sins for eternity but didn’t stop there.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 1:3, ESV
As I read this passage, I am overwhelmed by what God has done and will do for us. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (verse 4). “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ” (5). He lavished upon us “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (7). He revealed to us “the mystery of His will” (8). He provided our inheritance (11). He sealed us with “the promised Holy Spirit” (13). And that is just the start.
Can you and I even begin to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ and fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18)? What a marvelous mystery!
I was recently reminded of the story of Mephibosheth. I didn’t see it before, but it’s speaking to my heart now: his story is ours too.
He was a crippled man, the only survivor of the formerly royal family, whose grandfather had ruled the land. Now Mephibosheth lived in hiding because he was considered an enemy of the new king, David.
So David summoned Mephibosheth. This poor man probably feared for his life until the monumental moment David spoke his name—with respect and affection. He quickly bestowed upon him pastures, servants, and a seat at his table, to dine with royalty all the days of his life and be treated as one of King David’s own sons. When Mephibosheth stood before the throne, David saw not an enemy, but a friend—his dear friend Jonathan (Mephibosheth’s father) to whom he had made a promise to preserve his family line.
He delivered on that promise and then went even further.
God’s Provision: Astonishingly, God does that with us. While we were crippled in sin and enemies to God, He sent His Son to save us. Now when we stand before Him, He sees not an enemy, but His Son, whom He loves and with whom He is well pleased. He delivered on His promise and then went further, and further again. Our gracious Father has truly given us all He has and is.
Word of the Week: Extravagant. The love of God has been termed reckless because it goes beyond all bounds and norms. I think He can also be considered extravagant—abundant, generous, lavish, unrestrained. In other words, above and beyond.
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
Heaven isn’t Chuck-E-Cheese. Remember how cool it was when Mom took you there, but you could never earn enough tickets to get the coolest prizes. Heaven doesn’t have a point system, no ticket count to earn your way there. You might ask God what else you need to do for Him to say, “Well done,” but it isn’t God’s desire for you to cross items off a checklist or perform your way to glory. Because, your effort would never be enough. And it’s not about your effort, or trying harder. Your God wants you to love Him. To serve Him. And He wants you to know He already loves you. So love Him. Love His people. There’s no more pressure to score enough points for His good grace. Get it in your head that your God loves you not for your attempts at perfection, but because He simply loves you.
Love,
Megan
Most people value family tremendously. If you ask what they love most, consider most important, or find most satisfaction in, family is usually the response. It’s not so much cliché as it is beautiful. That’s the way God made it!
My family means the world to me, as I’m sure yours does to you. Our families are our lives. We cherish childhood years, tussle with siblings, resist parents’ instruction, dream about starting our own families someday, meet someone, get married, have our own children, raise them, find ourselves following our own parents’ example, send them off, welcome their spouses into our families, delight as they grow, pamper grandchildren … and so goes the cycle.
The family unit itself is divine. God instituted it at creation as an image of Himself, commanding the first man and woman to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28, ESV). So Adam and Eve did, and we’ve been doing so ever since.
Maybe you’re smiling right now. Your heart is warmed as you think of precious children and grandchildren. Your mind is flooded with memories; your home is peppered with pictures and paraphernalia of the good times you’ve shared.
Perhaps also you feel a twinge of pain, even deep sorrow, at the disappointment, loss, brokenness, and struggle endured over the years. Your family isn’t exactly what you dreamed. Your home isn’t perfect the way you envisioned. You’ve made mistakes along the way, and so have I.
What brings me the most comfort and hope is that our God is a family God. He breathes life into being, sustains existence, guides our paths, and blesses our endeavors. Most of all, beyond our individual family structures, He receives us into His holy family.
It’s a kind of homesickness we feel—gratefully content to be here with our beloved families now, missing those who have passed on, waiting to follow the same course, where we will all be united again in Christ.
It is God who has rescued us from the utter hopelessness of life apart from Him. It is God who planted our feet on solid ground and gave us a reason to live. He is our Father! Every good gift comes from Him (James 1:17). He made all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).
God’s Provision: Far more than being members of our earthly families, we are adopted into God’s spiritual family, grafted into His lineage of grace, participants in His church, the body of Christ. Friend, if you are not a part of this family but long to be, come. Christ paid your debt and is preparing a room for you.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
– Ephesians 3:14-19, ESV
Word of the Week: Home. The word brings peace to my soul. Our home is in heaven. Our permanent place of residence, where we belong, is with God, our Father, Creator, and Redeemer, for all eternity.
Abby
What sort of life do you live? I mean, how would you describe it?
Perhaps you love being busy, and a full schedule is your best way to function. You run around with the kids, involve yourself with ministries and activities, and are constantly on the move.
Or you’re the quieter type who doesn’t mind being at home. You have hobbies and friends but prefer a simple agenda and laid-back approach.
Maybe, too, you’re somewhere in between, being carried by the ebb and flow of life’s seasons. You adjust fluidly to change and embrace the next thing with open hands.
Whatever sort of life you lead, it’s unique to you. No matter if you’re a parent, employee, member of a board or council, neighbor, leader, student, friend, or professional—wherever you are and whatever you do is an assignment God gave to just you. It’s your opportunity to worship Him.
In doing so, we come to know Him deeper and have the privilege of making Him known to other people.
Sometimes we think—at least, I do—that a call from God is grandiose, moving, even overwhelming. We sense the stir in our inner being and respond with drastic life changes. It certainly can be that way.
But not always.
For every life committed to Christ, God reserves a duty. He calls us with purpose and saves us with intention, drawing us to obey Him in the various ways He arranges.
I have always read in the Bible about the diversity of the body of Christ and the uniqueness of each of God’s children. But not until recently have I begun to recognize and participate in the ongoing, communal effort to build God’s Kingdom and exalt His name.
I am greatly encouraged by this because I often feel insignificant. Maybe you do too. In the big picture, are we actually accomplishing anything? Do our everyday offerings of hard work and sacrifice affect anything?
Yes. Yes, they do. A lot.
It is the faithful life that merits great reward. And God has graciously given us His Word to daily guide our lives. What pleases the Lord? That which is done in secret for His glory, an honorable life, the ways of righteousness.
Simply living for Him where we are is His call for us. The Lord can do whatever seems right to Him with our lives when we devote ourselves to Him and seek His will. We trust in His mighty, merciful hand that is always working on our behalf.
God’s Provision: God gives us Himself! He is perfectly sufficient to provide every necessity and dispel every doubt. “The fear of the LORD,” Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “is the beginning of knowledge.” But “fools despise wisdom and instruction” (ESV). Paying attention to Him produces joyful obedience and establishes genuine purpose for our lives.
Word of the Week: Clay. I love the image of gentle hands molding the course of our lives to suit His purpose for us. Nothing in God’s hands is neither purposeless nor wasted. What an invigorating way to live!
But now, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
– Isaiah 64:8, ESV
May you and I walk in the clarity and confidence of God’s holy purpose.
Abby