Me: Prodigal, that is a lot of information and books!
Prodigal: Yes, I am trying to absorb as much as I can. I am just very focused.
Me: That is a good thing but take a break so that I can talk a little bit about knowledge.
Charles Swindoll points describes his growth in the Christian walk in the book Growing Deep in the Christian Life.
Thanks to the teaching of a very persuasive and powerful minister whose stated desire was to communicate the doctrines of the Bible, I became virtually brainwashed with his approach and system of thinking. And all who sat under his ministry for very long had the same mind-bending experience. A knowledge of doctrine became our watchword. Everyone outside our circle was judged on the basis of how much they knew. And since they never seemed to know as much as we did, we looked down our noses at them! I don’t believe I was ever more legalistic than during those years, even though all of us in the group would never have admitted such a thing. I mean, legalism was something other people demonstrated, not us.
I absorbed an enormous amount of information, some of which I came to realize later was spurious. But I did begin to grasp a measure of truth, and that was stimulating to me because I was so blatantly ignorant of how the Scriptures fit together. As I look back and reflect on those days, I must confess I grew, not only in knowledge, but every bit as much in pride….a pride so hideous it was like a growing cancer in my life. What I gained in knowledge I lacked in compassion and care for others. There was a lack of tolerance for people who would not agree with my system of thought. Other Christians became increasingly less important to me. In addition, non-Christians were virtually outside the scope of my inner radar screen.
I had grown in knowledge….but not in grace.
Thank the Lord for your knowledge! What happened to your love?
1 Corinthians 13 1-2
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
