by Ken Barnes

"Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding" (Proverbs 2:2 NASB)

We as Christians value and seek knowledge. However, in 2018, our greatest need may not be more knowledge about God, but the application to our hearts of the truth we already possess.

Christianity is not just an intellectual process. Yes, it does start with the mind, but it must proceed to the heart. Our spiritual walk takes us from head knowledge to heart revelation. This explains all the twists and turns in our spiritual journey as God applies His truth to our lives.

There is a road map the Bible gives us for traveling this voyage. The scribe Ezra tells us in Ezra 7: 10 (NASB) that he studied, practiced, and then he taught. It would behoove us who teach the Word of God to remember that we cannot give away what we don't have.

Of course we know that no one is perfect. This side of glory we will never get all our ducks in a row. We never arrive, but we do need to be in process. An old Puritan saying goes like this, "You can never lead anyone heavenward unless you are climbing yourself. You don't need to be high but you do need to be rising."

So in 2018 let us follow the instruction given in James 1: 22 to prove ourselves as doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. A sick and dying world needs not only to hear a proclamation of truth but also to see a demonstration of it. When are hearts are transformed, actions follow, and our message is validated. Complete obedience to revealed truth is what ultimately sets us free. Making Christ known in both word and deed.

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"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?" —T.S. Eliot.

Knowledge is gathered from learning and education, while wisdom is gathered from day-to-day experiences and is a state of being wise. Knowledge is merely having clarity of facts and truths, while wisdom is the practical ability to make consistently good decisions in life.

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I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission. My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and the Ukraine.I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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