For y ’ all optimists out there , I understand if you ’ re resistant to the idea that learning leads to lament . Y ’ all think more knowledge will be the solution to whatever problem you ’ re facing . Maybe it ’ s personal , social , or even global . And , yeah , knowledge can help . It can help you accomplish amazing things . But it ’ s not going to give you the relief that you seek .
Now , here ’ s another thing to consider . Sometimes knowledge , if pursued for the wrong reasons , can release you from personal responsibility . It can justify your inaction . This snuck up on me in seminary . I had given myself to learning the Bible . Yet I found that the deeper I dove into the truths of Scripture and my own heart , the more I used my learning to bypass Scripture ’ s implications for my life . God was convicting me about some things , and I didn ’ t want to hear it . Yeah , I was digging , but I wasn ’ t really looking for water . I was looking for an exit .
Learning leads to lament . Knowledge , if pursued for the wrong reasons , can lead to self-deception .
Learning leads to lament . Knowledge , if pursued for the wrong reasons , can lead to self-deception . Does that mean you should leave it all behind ? Not at all . Knowledge is one of God ’ s many gifts to us . It should be pursued . But you need to put it in its rightful place . You need to make it serve its rightful purpose . And this means directing your pursuit from a knowledge of something to a knowledge of Someone . If you want your knowledge to be purposeful , it must be personal .
What happens when your knowledge of yourself and your surroundings drives you to despair ? You don ’ t have to flounder in despondency . When you turn to God , your lament will find lasting purpose . Knowing God
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