I’m sure you’ve heard the saying ‘knowledge is power.’ Well, it’s really not. How many people can you think of offhand that know some stuff, yet you wouldn’t exactly call them powerhouses? Lots of folks have knowledge and no power. Satan has oodles of knowledge – by this time he would pretty much have to. He knows God’s Word; he even tried to use it against Jesus (Matthew 4:2-11; Luke 4:2-13). Not very successful at it, but he tried nonetheless. Yet, as much as he knows, the Bible tells us that he’s still trapped and kept under darkness (Jude 1:6) – and utterly powerless (Romans 8:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Colossians 2:13-15; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 1:18). (Of course, just because the devil’s got knowledge, it doesn’t mean he’s omniscient – quite the contrary. It’s a bit difficult to be chained under the darkness and know everything at the same time. Let’s face it, if he really knew so much he wouldn’t be chained in the dark in the first place [1 Corinthians 2:7-8]. But I digress…)
We can see, then, that it’s not simply a matter of what you know. But please don’t misunderstand me. Success does begin with obtaining knowledge, correct knowledge – the knowledge of God, also fondly known as the Truth (John 17:17). Without having a good fundamental base of what the truth actually is, you’ll easily fall for the lies the world circulates daily. That’s why God wants us to know what He knows, to obtain our knowledge from Him (Hosea 6:6; Colossians 1:10). His knowledge doesn’t change from one generation to the next, or from one decade to the next, or one day to the next (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). God’s knowledge base is a rock of stability.
So, yes, it all starts by having God’s knowledge, knowing His Word (which, by the way, is also His will). But that’s certainly not where it ends. Our Lord Jesus taught that the people who were acting wisely were not the ones who just heard His words, but those who actually put them into action in their own lives (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:46-49). James 1:22 and 1:24 urge us to “be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving our own selves;” because “the doer of the work, and not the forgetful hearer, will be blessed in his deed.” Then, a couple of chapters later he just goes ahead and smacks us in the face with the bottom line: “To him that knows to do good but doesn’t, to him it’s sin” (James 4:17).
What must we conclude, then? It’s not just what you know that gives you power. It’s what you do with what you know that brings explosive results. The Blessing of Abraham (described in Deuteronomy 28:1-13) given to the Israelites came with one condition – that they listen and do. It’s no different for us today; remember, the Lord doesn’t change.
As children of God, we’re called to do mercy. We’re called to do compassion. We’re called to do love. Those are not just wonderful, idealistic concepts. They’re action words. They were first put into action toward us by our heavenly Father in the person of Jesus Christ, and now we should be doing the same – because as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). The doer is blessed indeed, and the blessing of the Lord…well, let’s just say it’ll make you rich, and leave it at that! (Proverbs 10:22)
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