Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday August 2, 2007

A friend, who hasn't opened a book since he graduated 30 years ago, told me that he just recycles material from his college notes, works in a current illustration and gets the job done, in grand style and the group to which he ministers loves his insightful and encouraging sermons. This friend is more the norm than you might think and I find this tragic, for his congregation and for his own spiritual growth.

Epictetus who lived from 55-135 A.D. made a statement, a true one, and this statement should burned in bronze and put in a place where every preacher, parent and educator is forced to see and pause to meditate on the implications every day.

"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."

Too many professional people labor under the delusion that they know enough to make enough money for the payments demanded by their lifestyle, so why bother with continuing education programs? I will give the point, far too many continuing ed programs are not that at all, but mere "I'm here to get your money" rip offs. Yet it is my responsibility and privilege to study in order to be approved unto the Lord. Why is this? For starters, we will never know all we need to know about God. Nor will we ever fully grasp the word of God in this life. An old TV program was based on the truth that men do not know their wife. It was called, "Do You Trust Your Wife?" The premise had nothing to do with moral trust, but usually the host would ask the wife questions, and then the hubby was brought in to tell what he thought the wife answered. 97% of the time the hubbies answer was wrong! Some men did not know the favorite flower or food of their wife of 10 or 20 years. One man did not know the color of his wife's eyes.

The more I learn about people the more I know that I don't know people very well. Also, I do not know nearly as much about the Bible as I did 40 years ago. I wish I had the knowledge of spiritual things that I possessed when I was 25. I sure knew it all back then. Seeing as how I already knew so much I was free to be busy, rather than wasting my time reading books and listening to sermons and lectures given by wizards who supposed they knew.

George Washington Carver said that one time while he praying he asked the Lord to show him the great secrets of the world. Carver insisted he heard God say, "Well, George the world is a pretty big item, how about I start you off with a peanut?" The aviation industry is still unraveling aerodynamic secrets from butterfly wings! No one on earth knows all there it to know about anything or thankfully anyone; though Homeland Security is working on this.

One thing that is comforting to me is according to the Bible I can 'know' God through Christ in the experiential manner and through this initial experience, grow into a more knowledgeable person, becoming more like Christ and reaching a conclusion I know enough to know that I do not know enough.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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