WHAT TO KNOW?

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We are living in a time when  knowledge is easy to  find and  much easier to  acquire.  Technology has brought   knowledge of every kind  closer to man than ever.  Surely we do not need all this vast body of knowledge.   So it calls for discernment. We need to be selective while approaching knowledge. Daniel has prophesied about a time  of knowledge explosion.  ‘Many shall be running back and forth, and knowledge shall  increase’ (Dan 12:4). Then  people  will consider knowledge as   the most precious wealth on earth and they will sacrifice anything in its pursuit. 

But what is knowledge? The Holy Bible says that it starts with  the  fear of the Lord    ( Prov 1:7). It needs an intelligent  mind to  acquire knowledge (Pro 18:15). Too much of anything is bad  and it is true in the case of knowledge also.  Those who increase knowledge  increase sorrow’ (Eccle.1:18) says the Scripture. So a line needs to be drawn. We don’t need all the knowledge in this world. Be content with the minimum level of   knowledge that would sustain  us. And selection of  that  knowledge  is a work to be done diligently because once our selection goes wrong, it will be difficult to   change track. 

Knowing the Ultimate is the ultimate knowledge. And the wise  yearned for this knowledge. They sacrificed everything in exchange for this precious treasure. Paul the apostle  writes;  ‘More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’ (Phil 3:8). He did  not  hesitate to   regard everything else as mere rubbish when compared to the  knowledge  about Christ. He was a man of knowledge, a man   educated strictly according to  Jewish ancestral law by none other than Gamaliel (Acts 22:2). He had many things to boast of. Circumcised on  the eighth day, belonging to the stock of Israel, of the  tribe of Benjamin (one of the two tribes that remained in faith),  a Hebrew born of Hebrews (as against Hellenist Jews who were influenced by Greek culture). He was a Pharisee, a strict adherent of Mosaic Law. A man consumed by  zeal and  blameless before law!

Yet he sacrificed all its benefits   because he considered  knowledge about Christ more valuable than them. His  textbook has only one page  and only one lesson and in it was  written the  name of  Jesus Christ. When  Paul started reading the  textbook called Jesus Christ,  he wrote: ‘For I decided to know nothing among you except  Jesus Christ, and him crucified ( 1 Cor 2:2). 

Paul, and many others like him, knew the  value of knowing the Holy One (Pro  9:10). They were wise and it is  wise to follow the wise. It is time to stop running  here and there for knowledge. Remember  that in Daniel’s prophecy (Dan 12:4) the word knowledge can also be   translated as evil. So it is better to be satisfied with  that  knowledge  which is truly essential for our  life. Anything beyond that comes from evil, because  too much  knowledge  is  something that would surely drain the channels of  grace flowing into our  heart.

Let us pray for the Lord’s blessing to sacrifice our quest for  this world’s knowledge in exchange for  the divine knowledge of the Holy One.

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