Have you ever learned something only to refute that learning by challenging the possibility of it being true? Depending on the program you subscribe to in determining your personality type, I am an Owl or Thinker. I am one of those that needs all the details in order to say that I know something. I do not really refute what I learn, only ask questions to understand.

Jesus healed the man born blind and the Pharisees grilled him to prove that Jesus was a sinner and had done wrong on the Sabbath day. This is a far cry from the man that was healed.

“²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.’ ²⁵He answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’” – John 9:24-25 (ESV)

This man was ecstatic that he could now see. He knew that this man, Jesus was special, although why he was not sure. All he knew was that he was healed. Later in the account of the event, the man met back up with Jesus and believed in him once he learned who he was.

“³⁶He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ ³⁷Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’ ³⁸He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.” – John 9:36-38 (ESV)

Are we more like the Pharisees who look to get answers that fall in line with what we want or like the man healed who believed once he learned? What would happen if we would marvel at what we learn because we now know?

Have you ever been in a situation where you “know” something and hold within your being that it is true, even arguing that point? What about when you find out that what you “know” is indeed not true and there is proof of your mistaken knowledge?

“²¹Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.’” – John 4:21-22 (ESV)

This Samaritan woman knew of the Old Testament. In verse 20 she indicates that knowledge, however once Jesus began explaining things to her she started asking questions to understand more.

In order for this Samaritan woman to know, she needed to ask questions. After the questions, she had to listen and in listening she was able to understand.

We find ourselves in this situation often. We think we know it all and hold to that point out of pride and stubbornness. It is only when we are open to other ideas and question, listen, and understand those ideas that we know we are either correct in our thinking or that there is indeed a change needed in our knowledge.

When have you found yourself with knowledge that you thought was exact? Were you open to the information that others were able to provide? Did you listen to understand? Were you in a position to demonstrate a willingness to know differently? Do you know what you know or are you willing to continue learning?

How many of us know things that we have to witness for ourselves to believe? How many of us are still skeptical?

“¹⁰Jesus answered him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?’” – John 3:10-12 (ESV)

Nicodemus was a learned man and was considered one of the “experts” and teachers. He came to Jesus to ask questions and understand. Here, Jesus is giving him what he wanted and yet he was still skeptical.

I know that I have been there myself. Finding answers and then not believing them as true. When we are dealing in the Word of God, the answers are true and should we should believe.

God’s Word is the way, the truth, and the light. We have it here in front of us and we know it, yet we are reluctant to really believe.

What would happen if you believed God’s Word? How did you come to know what is in God’s Word, second hand knowledge or did you see for yourself? When we know, do we believe?

Have you ever been somewhere and walked by or spoke with someone only later to find out that they were someone you should already know? Aarron, my youngest son out and saw Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs player) and immediately recognized him and took the opportunity to talk with him. I wonder if we would recognize Jesus if we ran into him on the street.

“¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” – John 1:10 (ESV)

Jesus was certainly someone that should have been known at the time. He was talked about and his coming was highly anticipated as the Messiah. Yet you can see that in verse 10, the people did not know him. Not even his own people, the Jews, received him with open arms.

“¹¹He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” – John 1:11 (ESV)

We believe that we are in a unique situation in this age where anything we want to know is at our fingertips and that somehow makes us smarter or more knowledgeable, when in reality we only have more information. Having information does not an indication of knowledge. I may have read something but have not studied it, and therefore do not really know it. I have read about woodworking and recognize the tools, but knowledge of how to use them and create with them escapes me.

The information we have about Jesus is really good and thorough. It is good that we are reading and looking into God’s Word. But, to really know, we have to study. Daily looking into and applying God’s Word to our lives, reviewing to understand, and gaining a deeper visual of Jesus and how we can be more like him will aid in our ability to truly know. When we “know” the characteristics of Jesus and work hard to be more like him each day, I can imagine bumping into him and just knowing who it is I have finally met.

I don’t know if I am there yet, are you? Do you have deep understanding of who Jesus is? What does your study of God’s Word look like, are you using it for information or to gain valuable knowledge of Jesus Christ? Would you know Jesus?

Like me, you may have heard the phrase “Be Prepared”. The Boy Scouts motto is one that we should apply to many parts of our lives. We cannot know everything that may come up and it is good to be able to address those efficiently when they present themselves. The Lord’s return is one of those we should be ready for.

“⁴²Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” – Matthew 24:42 (ESV)

“Stay awake” or “be prepared”. As a father of boys who play sports, I know that they practice immensely to get ready to play. They work on conditioning, learning plays, and understanding what the philosophy of the coaches system so that when the game comes, they can just execute. But, when I watch them in game situations and see the adjustments as a reaction to something unexpected, I am amazed at how they just knew. This comes from preparation and staying awake.

“⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.” – Matthew 24:43 (ESV)

We cannot know when things are going to happen, and they will, but we can be prepared for them. When we go to sleep at night, we lock our doors, kick on the alarm, and make sure our families are secure in the house. In other words, we prepare, like the master of the house.

As we are waiting for the return of God, we should be prepared. We have work to do on this earth and for that we practice, to work on our conditioning, learning plays, and understanding the way God has in line for us to live. When we have practiced the plays and are doing things in line with God’s Word, we are ready to adjust as a reaction to something unexpected.

We do not know when God is returning, but we can prepare for this unexpected event. Not unexpected because it will surprise us, but because we have done the work and are rewarded for our obedience.

Will you work on your conditioning, learning plays, and understanding the God has in line for you? Will we be able to relax and enjoy the unexpected timing of God’s return, because we have done the work asked of us? Will we be prepared, because we do not know?

God Knows and That Should be Enough

As a man, I seek the acknowledgement of other as confirmation that I have done well. I am somehow validated by the words, awards, and/or compliments from others.

“³But when you give to the needy, do not let you left hand know what you right hand is doing, ⁴so that you giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:3-4 (ESV)

I read this passage this morning and whereas Jesus is teaching of giving to the needy, I was drawn to use this passage to teach me a lesson.

I will admit that I have been seeking affirmation from those around me to somehow seem more important, and all it is really getting me is more heartache when it does not come. You see, we can seek the appreciation of others to make ourselves look good (publically), but what does that really get us. I need to seek the more important acknowledgement from God (in secret) and not really worry about what others say. I have a lot to offer and should not need the affirmation of those around me to validate that. I should be focused on doing God’s work and allow God to provide my rewards.

We are to obey God. Not for human reward, or for ourselves, but for His reward and for Him. No one needs to know that we are doing for God. When they ultimately do find out what we have done from those that have benefitted from our graciousness, we should be completely shocked at any affirmation that we receive.

Where are your motives? Are you working for yourself or for God? Are you looking to obey and please God or are you out for earthly glory? If God is the only one who knows, shouldn’t that be enough for us?

A covenant is an agreement or contract. If we remember, there was the Old Covenant, and there is the New Covenant with God. Both of these covenants were agreements or contracts between God and his people. With a contract, it is typically written down to serve as a reminder of the agreed upon terms and conditions.

“³³But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)

The New Covenant will be written down, only written on the hearts of God’s people (reminder of the agreed upon terms and conditions). Notice the words used “my people”. It is important to know that the law will be written for God’s people. How will we know God’s people, well that is between God and them. Once a Christian, you have become God’s people and the New Covenant will be within you and are now God’s people.

“³⁴And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:34 (ESV)

We will no longer be called on to teach our Christian brethren to “Know” God, for they already do. And they should not be teaching us to “Know” God for we already do. We should be focusing our attention to others.

God will write on our hearts his New Covenant. We will know God on our heart and the New Covenant is alive in us.

Are you looking inward to the contract/agreement we have with God? Is God’s Law written on your heart? Do you know the Lord on you heart?

“⁵Thus says the Lord, The God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.” – Jeremiah 24:5 (ESV)

The Flisowski Family has felt like “exiles” for quite some time. We have been doing our level best to get by and every time we feel like we have turned a corner, we have another setback.

“⁸But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the kin of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.” – Jeremiah 24:8 (ESV)

We see the prosperity of those around us and feel as though they have something we do not and therefore we take ourselves deeper into despair.

We must remember that adversity brings us closer to God. When things are going great, we tend to take our eyes off of God and rely on ourselves. We are poisoned by prosperity. The adversity we feel is there to keep us humble. When we face that adversity and turn to God, a heart to know him is manifest.

“⁷I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” – Jeremiah 24:7 (ESV)

“I will” is the phrase I focused on here. We face the adversity and then God gives. Until then, we must demonstrate our obedience and wait. As that adversity hits, God will show his favor on us and make us to return to him with our “whole heart”.

We have to continue looking to do the will of God in all situations and know that when it is more than we can handle, God “will give them a heart to know” and we will know that God is there for us and will allow us to be the children he already knew us to be.

Are you finding it difficult to make it? Are you feeling like the exile and wondering about why you are not having the prosperity you thought you should have? Maybe God is allowing the adversity to draw you closer to him. Will you come out of it with a “heart to know”?

Lori and I have certain expectations for our boys Byson and Aarron. They are to graduate high school and move on to educate themselves even more. We understand that in today’s society, there is a “need” for knowing more than what you learn before high school graduation.

“¹⁶I said in my heart, ‘I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.’” – Ecclesiastes 1:16 (ESV)

Even the Preacher (Solomon as is commonly understood to be) spent time gaining great knowledge and wisdom in the world. He was known as one of the wisest of all time, so we must be doing something right in regard to seeking to know more.

“¹⁷And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly, I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. ¹⁸For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” – Ecclesiastes 1:17-18 (ESV)

Have you ever tried to catch the wind? We may think we can, however once we have gathered the air moved by the wind, that wind is gone and now only air. So we really did not capture the wind at all.

The Hebrew word for vanity is vapor (as identified in the footnote of my ESV) and it, like wind, is fleeting, yet we continue to chase it. Our human knowledge when it is all said and done has no real value. We are chasing the wind and even though we may catch it, we are disappointed in the value once we have it.

Please do not mistake my words above to mean that you should not be seeking a further education and knowledge, for that is far from the truth. I am referring to seeking as the, be all end all. We should seek to understand, however if we are going to seek for true wisdom as Solomon, we should be seeking the Word of God.

True wisdom is knowing and living the Word of God. The Word gives us life and we are then able to proceed with happiness and fulfillment that this world and the knowledge it has cannot offer. Seek the knowledge and wisdom that God provides and we are able to know all that we need to be fruitful.

When you seek knowledge and wisdom, where are you looking? Are you seeking to know all you can on this earth? Where has that ultimately gotten you? Are you willing to seek the wisdom from the Word of God? Will you know God and true wisdom?

How many of us look to the future? Whereas it is useful in some things, in our daily walk with Christ we have to be in the present.

“¹Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” – Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)

We as Christians are to be working in the present and not concerned with the future.

I know that I am personally a planner and what to be prepared for what might come. This is slightly different that boasting about tomorrow. Preparing is correct, worrying and shouting about how good things will be are certainly not. We cannot control tomorrow and therefore can only prepare for them.

“¹³Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – ¹⁴yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” – James 4:13-14 (ESV)

We don’t know if we will even make it to tomorrow so how is it that we can boast about it. It will serve us better to focus on today and doing the work of God and when tomorrow comes, do the same.

Are you concerned with tomorrow? What kinds of things are there for you to accomplish to only prepare for tomorrow and live today? Do you know what is today?